They called on volunteer hunters to organize a bison population in the United States: more than 45,000 people attended

In this June 12, 2019 photo, an American bison grazing in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming (Photo by Daniel Slim / AFP)

More than 45,000 people volunteered Kill 12 bison in Grand Canyon National Park in the United States, as part of An unprecedented program to regulate the population growth of this animalFriday, it announced the National Park Service (NPS).

He said Bison could damage “water resources, plants and park soil” and threaten archaeological sites if they grow too many. France Press agency Caitlin Thomas, a NPS spokeswoman, added that “Herd size reduction” allows for “ecosystem protection”.

The American bison, also known as buffalo, grazing near the northern edge of the Grand Canyon National Park, July 17, 2020 (Photo by Eric Pradat / AFP)

In order to respond to this problem, Arizona authorities launched the Grand Canyon in early MayCall for nominations to find twelve volunteers willing to participate in the process.

Dependent 45,000 applications were received in just two days, 25 finalists will be selected and 12 finalists will be selected before May 17.

American bison grazing near the northern edge of the Grand Canyon National Park, July 17, 2020 (Photo by Eric Berdat / AFP)

Each of them would be authorized to kill a bison, which must then be able to “leave the area on foot, without the aid of a motorized vehicle,” which is not permitted in this area.And the He points to NPS, the federal agency responsible for managing the great landscapes of the United States.

To be eligible to participate, volunteers must be US citizens of legal age, “in very good physical condition,” You have your own rifle, And receiving training and “strong verbal communication skills,” NPS continued.

In this file photo from July 31, 2016, a ranger and a group of motorcyclists pass a bison warning sign inside the Grand Canyon National Park in northern Arizona. (AP Photo / Susan Montoya Brian)

Animal cadavers will be distributed among the volunteers “Any portion that volunteers do not want will be handed over to the tribal governments of the eleven tribes traditionally associated with the Grand Canyon National Park.”The spokeswoman said.

The initiative was a great success, although it did not surprise Thomas, who suspected it “would generate a lot of interest”. “When the program started, the park received hundreds of emails and calls from people asking for more information about how to register,” he says.

Tourists on a motorcycle take pictures of an American bison near Custer, South Dakota, in the Black Hills National Forest, July 8, 2020 (Photo by Eric Paradat / AFP)

NPS advises, however, that this is not a stalking, as the process is controlled by park authorities and is not conducted for recreational or private purposes.

Since 2019, the park has also picked up bison for transport to other areas. he thinks that Between 400 and 600 bison currently live in the northern part of Grand Canyon Park.

On September 13, 2019, file photo provided by the National Park Service, a bison inserted a pen on the northern edge of Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona (Bryan Maul / National Park Service via AP)

Within ten years, specialists estimate that its population could triple, to nearly 1,500 animals.

Such a program is unprecedented in the Grand Canyon, but according to Thomas, Similar measures have been implemented in other national parks to combat “overcrowding of moose or goats”.