When the Division of State Parks and Recreation decided to authorize a buffalo hunt on Antelope Island several years back, they had no inkling the buffalo herd there - which looked like a buffalo herd anywhere else - possessed unique genes.
Those unique genes make the animals worth a whole lot more for breeding purposes than the few hundred dollars per animal State Parks was getting from hunters. The 1989 buffalo hunt has been called off, and under the provisions of HB75, State Parks will be allowed to sell excess buffalo on Antelope Island through competitive bidding.Those funds - which could amount to several thousand dollars per animal - will now be used to manage the buffalo on Antelope Island.