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Hybrid or Pure? (photo courtesy of US Fish & Wildlife)
The Bison with Bovine DNA Dilemma
By Jon Nichols
Over the past few years there has been considerable discussion about “pure” bison vs. bison with residue amounts of bovine DNA. This issue came to the forefront when a cross section of the bison herds was tested and the results published by such researchers as Dr. Natalie Halbert and Dr. James Derr of Texas A & M.
It seems amusing that as little as 10 years ago there was no concern about bison with bovine DNA. Ignorance was bliss. It was long forgotten that some animals left over from cattalo experiments were incorporated into the Buffalo herds. Yet when the discovery was made of remnant cattle DNA in some, not all, of the American Buffalo, it set off a hot and heated debate over what bison breeders and wildlife managers should do about it. Some wanted to entirely destroy any bison that had a stray cattle gene or two, making sure that pure untainted blood is all that was left. Others thought such a concept was unthinkable, since it would reduce bison numbers severely, eliminating those with genetic diversity even though they had some bovine DNA.
Just how much domestic cattle blood is in certain buffalo herds? Actually it varies. After over a hundred years of breeding to pure buffalo, some herds have individuals with less than one percent. Other animals have been discovered that may contain as much as 12 percent. Realistically, the norm is probably 2 to 3 percent. Some believe there are only about 15 to 20 thousand pure bison in existence. It’s interesting to note that certain cattle breed associations declare “graded-up” cattle as “pure” when they reach a 31/32nds level, or 96.875 per cent. Even though many bison fall into such a category, is there a possibility they will loose their legal “Bison” status and fall under a reclassification of domestic cattle? This is cause for genuine concern.
As breeders of bison heritage cattle, we have a unique middle ground position in a world between the “wild” bison purists, the commercial bison producer and even the purebred or commercial cattleman. We neither promote bison, nor pure cattle, but use bison as a source to develop unique genetic blends, creating composite cattle to meet changing market demand, and produce good beef, cheaper and more efficiently.
Perhaps we are in a better position to observe both sides of the issue. We have seen how bison blood can influence cattle, and by the same token, notice the effects of bovine genetics in bison, and will throw our comments into the mix.
Is a little cattle blood in bison a tragedy or was it a benefit, increasing herd numbers, assisting in preserving the species; or, are those bemoaning the fact wanting to roll back the clock to any Idyllic Pre-Columbian Era when bison dominated the prairies?
Actually the “wild” bison issue has been around for a long time, and well before DNA testing. In his book, “The Life of Prairies and Plains” (1967) Durward L. Allen wondered if we had indeed saved the Plains Buffalo in its original form. Had man forever changed the free ranging bison through limited habitat, confinement in national parks and wildlife refuges, controlled hunting, disease introduction, bison ranching, selective breeding, and meat production? Could we encompass a million acres or more of the Great Plains as a buffalo pasture, and allow the buffalo to roam, unencumbered by restraints of man, restoring the American buffalo to a truly wild state? (Is this where the idea of “The Buffalo Commons” came from?) The answer is No, we have not, nor are we likely to even in the distant future.
Large buffalo pastures may once again encompass land of the Great Plains, but we cannot turn back the clock. Consider the Alaskan Big Delta herd, created in the late 1920’s to preserve the Plains Buffalo in a remote wild land and at the same time, provide new opportunities for big game hunting. Even in Alaska, these bison face problems of expanding past their habitat, and roaming into populated areas. New concerns have also emerged that these bison may be displacing native species. Man by his very existence changes nature, even when he has the best intentions. We are continuously learning and finding ways to balance the environmental scales and this is not done overnight.
This is not to say that Man does not do environmental good. Using the tools he has, he wants to be a benevolent steward of the land, trying to right old wrongs made in the name of progress. Without a doubt in man’s efforts to save the bison from extinction, he inadvertently or deliberately allowed the crossbreeding of domestic cattle and bison.
The Arizona State Herd ranging north of the Grand Canyon on the Kaibab Plateau is a classic example. The herd originated from buffalo left over from the defunct cattalo project of Buffalo Jones. “Uncle” Jimmy Owens took some buffalo in payment for his share of the Cattalo ranch, increased and maintained the herd for years, eventually selling them to the State of Arizona.
When these bison were DNA tested, a majority were found to contain bovine DNA. One reporter even poetically stated the herd is “chock full” of cow DNA. It was well known that Uncle Jimmy had a few higher percentage cattalos slipped in on his deal, but 90 years ago, with bison numbers so low, nobody was really concerned about a little cattle blood in bison, and there was no DNA testing back then even to consider it a problem.
The observation of this herd by the American Bison Society in the 1920’s is well worth mention. They noted the Arizona herd contained the most diverse blood lines of any other Bison herd in existence, since they were descendants from bison Jones had brought in from all over for his cattalo breeding experiments. Jones used bison from the Pablo-Allard herd, the old Bedson Manitoba Herd, Goodnight’s in Texas, buy-backs from his original Kansas herd, Corbin’s in New Hampshire and the Molera bison from California. Should a herd of such genetic diversity be eliminated? We think not, but others, worried about environmental impact of bison in and around the Grand Canyon, see the bovine DNA issue as a good excuse to get rid of them.
So what’s the answer to the bison with bovine dilemma? The key to the issue of course seems to be genetic diversity; keeping the bison a healthy and vigorous species without reducing the gene pool. Today’s bison were propagated from 5 to possibly 10 herds, made up of only a few hundred animals salvaged from the millions that once roamed the plains. Surprisingly today’s bison have good genetic variation despite the fact they originated from small breeding numbers.
Presently some wildlife managers are gradually eliminating those without genetic value from herds designated as “wild”. This planned systematic approach seems logical, yet we must be cautious in preserving those with different bison bloodlines even though they have bovine DNA.
Perhaps we should look at the European approach. Their lowland Bison, (Wisent) remain classified as Bison Bonasus Bonasus. The Caucasus Mountain Bison, developed by breeding the last remaining bull of that species with American buffalo was simply reclassified as Bison Bonasus Montanus. In the U-S, those of pure blood could remain “Bison Bison Bison” and Bison with remnant bovine DNA could be renamed, say, as “Bison Bison Americus”.
The latest world population estimates of the Buffalo vary between 250 thousand to as high as a half million. There are plenty of them in existence, and no worries over a population crash. Before DNA testing, purity was not an issue. Whoever said “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing,” knew exactly what he was talking about. DNA testing has opened Pandora’s Box and changed everything. Now we must calculate how to apply this new knowledge carefully without worsening an already complex situation. To do otherwise could cause a great injustice to the bison and future generations who will value them as a symbol of our American Heritage.