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| Phill Randall carries the American flag as wranglers work to control the herd as they move toward the corral area Friday, Sept. 27, 2013 at the annual bison roundup at Custer State Park in South Dakota. Over 1,100 of the park’s bison are rounded up from all corners and herded into corrals where they’ll be vaccinated, branded and sorted for an auction in November. (AP Photo/The Argus Leader, Jay Pickthorn) |
“People come from all over the world for this special connection to American history,” said freelance journalist Chris Bury, who was producing a segment for the Al Jazeera network’s “America Tonight.”
“This is a historical spectacle,” he said.
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| A herd of more than 1,000 buffalo make the final push into the corrals during the 48th Buffalo Roundup in Custer State Park, S.D. Friday, Sept. 27, 2013. The roundup is necessary to maintain the herd as the event gives park staff a chance to check on the females and brand calves. (AP Photo/Rapid City Journal, Benjamin Brayfield) |
Park managers use the event, in its 48th year, as a management tool. They brand and vaccinate the animals and cull the herd in an effort to maintain a balance of bison and rangeland forage. More than 400 of the bison will be sold at a November auction that will generate about $500,000 for park operations, the Rapid City Journal reported.
The roundup is typically held on the last Monday of September, following the park’s weekend arts festival. It was moved ahead of the arts festival this year.
“It was born of the idea of attracting even more people,” said Craig Pugsley, visitor services coordinator for the park.
The park also offered another major change this year. The north viewing area was altered to allow for better vantage points. The fence that used to line the top of the hill has been moved to the base of the hill, providing a “natural amphitheater for people to sit and watch,” Pugsley said.
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| A buffalo is branded with the number “3″ for 2013 and an “S” denoting the state’s ownership, during the 48th Buffalo Roundup at Custer State Park, S.D. Friday, Sept. 27, 2013. The roundup is necessary to maintain the herd as the event gives park staff a chance to check on the females and brand calves. (AP Photo/Rapid City Journal, Benjamin Brayfield) |
The cattle guard near the hill also was moved. The changes will allow more people to watch from the north side and to be closer to the buffalo as they rush toward the corrals.
Erwin Graf and Bettina Bardill, who live near St. Moritz, Switzerland, took in New York City and Tennessee’s Nashville and Memphis before coming to the Black Hills.
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| Catherine Neihart, 12, left, and her sister, Jessalee, 10, from Braddyville, Iowa, wear buffalo costumes made by their grandmother during the 48th Buffalo Roundup in Custer State Park Sept. 27, 2013 in Custer, SD. (AP Photo/Rapid City Journal, Benjamin Brayfield) |
“We came here for the spectacle, for the buffalo, for the wildlife,” Bardill said. “In Switzerland, you don’t have thousands of buffalo.”
(Rapid City Journal - Sept 30, 2013)
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