(The Los Angeles Times)
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AVALON -- A herd of bison on Catalina Island is going on birth control in an effort to reduce the population.
A five-year experimental program begins Friday in which female bison over the age of two will be injected annually with a contraceptive.
Some of the feral bison were corralled ahead of time Thursday.
The bison, commonly known as American buffalo, are descendants of 14 animals that were shipped to the island in 1924 for a movie appearance. The bison weren't used in the movie and were just left behind.
As many as 600 bison roamed the island at one point.
To control the herd, the animals were shipped out for slaughter, but in recent years, the shaggy creatures have instead been sent to Indian reservations for breeding.
In 2003, a study found that the then-350 bison on the island had poor nutrition and health.
The goal of the new birth control program is to reduce the herd size to a more manageable and healthier 150 to 200.
Last month, 150 bison were deported at a cost of about $100,000, conservancy President and Chief Executive Ann M. Muscat said. The $200,000 contraception program is considered cheaper and less stressful for the animals.
The bison will be receiving a non-hormonal vaccine called PZP, which is derived from pig eggs.
Carlos de la Rosa, chief conservation and education officer for the Catalina Island Conservancy, said mating season will stay the same, but it will be a safer practice, if you will.
"Bison will continue to be bison," De la Rosa said. "Males will continue to compete for females, and females will continue to go into heat. The only difference is that we can control how many calves they have."
"For bison in love, this means romance without responsibilities," he said jokingly.
A five-year experimental program begins Friday in which female bison over the age of two will be injected annually with a contraceptive.
Some of the feral bison were corralled ahead of time Thursday.
The bison, commonly known as American buffalo, are descendants of 14 animals that were shipped to the island in 1924 for a movie appearance. The bison weren't used in the movie and were just left behind.
As many as 600 bison roamed the island at one point.
To control the herd, the animals were shipped out for slaughter, but in recent years, the shaggy creatures have instead been sent to Indian reservations for breeding.
In 2003, a study found that the then-350 bison on the island had poor nutrition and health.
The goal of the new birth control program is to reduce the herd size to a more manageable and healthier 150 to 200.
Last month, 150 bison were deported at a cost of about $100,000, conservancy President and Chief Executive Ann M. Muscat said. The $200,000 contraception program is considered cheaper and less stressful for the animals.
The bison will be receiving a non-hormonal vaccine called PZP, which is derived from pig eggs.
Carlos de la Rosa, chief conservation and education officer for the Catalina Island Conservancy, said mating season will stay the same, but it will be a safer practice, if you will.
"Bison will continue to be bison," De la Rosa said. "Males will continue to compete for females, and females will continue to go into heat. The only difference is that we can control how many calves they have."
"For bison in love, this means romance without responsibilities," he said jokingly.
