Issue Date: 11/16/09
Protect the local bison
By Rebecca Levin
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However, this gross expansion of the species has led Camp Pendleton into a predicament: bison have recently been caught in barbed wiring and have been interfering in Marine training. The question now arises: what is to be done about these gentle giants?
According to an Oct. 31 North County Times article on the subject, the options are few, the most realistic of these being to move some or all of the herd. Another option would be to thin out their numbers through hunting. The first of these options is the most humane and the most logical of these choices.
American bison are ranked "near threatened" on International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species because of the severe lack of pure blood bison currently living (many animals considered to be bison are actually crossbreeds with other bovine). The bison at Camp Pendleton are of the small percentage of bison that are pureblood.
These animals have the potential to generate a very large sum in tourism money. Their economic value would be disregarded, were they to be killed off by hunters. Seeing such a large and abnormal animal is an experience many would value.
Furthermore, the American bison is classified as a keystone species, meaning that were the bison to be killed; other wildlife at Camp Pendleton could be in jeopardy of extinction locally (though the species was nonnative to the region and originally invasive). To kill such an animal for pure enjoyment or for money is, therefore, certainly out of the question.
The only other option, then, is relocation. Moving some of the herd would make sense, except for the fact that living organisms do reproduce; so what is to happen when the herd grows in size again?
To save a great deal of money, time, and hassle, the relocation of the full herd is most logical.
The closest and most reasonable relocation facility for the bison would be the Cleveland National Forest. Because this forest is directly adjacent to Camp Pendleton, the cost of transportation would be significantly less than any other site - not to mention that the climate the bison are used to would be almost exactly replicated in this forest due to its proximity. All in all, this facility is almost ideal for these bison.
If this location is not available, then other locations should be found throughout the United States. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Web site, American bison herds can be found in 31 locations in 15 states; at least one of these locations should be suitable for the flourishing herd.
Camp Pendleton was once an ideal range for this animal, but the recent increase in its numbers has forced Pendleton officials to reconsider the herd's home.
However, hunting these animals is not the answer and the American bison can definitely not thrive on the base for much longer.
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