Antelope Island - Wildlife

Wildlife

Antelope Island has a unique array of wildlife and is famous for its large bison population, the Antelope Island Bison Herd. Though the island was named for the Pronghorn Antelope that John C. Fremont and Kit Carson discovered there when they explored the Great Salt Lake, bison (American Buffalo) were later introduced. All of the bison on Antelope Island are Plains Bison. The Antelope Island Bison Herd got its start when, "Twelve bison, 4 bulls (males), 4 cows (females) and 4 calves were taken by boat to the island on February 15, 1893 by William Glassman and John Dooly. These twelve animals provided the foundation for what has grown into one of the largest and oldest publicly owned bison herds in the nation." The herd of bison increased quickly in numbers and by the early 20th century, several hundred of them were present on the island.

One of the early silent movies of the 20th Century "The Covered Wagon" was partly filmed on Antelope Island where a scene requiring a buffalo hunt and a buffalo stampede were needed. At the time the bison herd on Antelope Island was possibly the largest herd of bison in the US. After much effort about 350 of the animals were herded into a stampede which was then filmed. The movie is considered by some people to be the first great 'Western Epic' and it established some of the cliches that persist in 'Western' movies, such as circling the wagons in time of danger or attacks. During the movie, seven buffalo were shot and killed for the hunting scenes. "Don't grow sentimental over the seven," said James Cruze, the Director of the film. "The folks out there would like to get rid of the whole herd and they would, but for the sentimental hubbub that is always raised when they talk of rounding out the buffalo. The animals are worthless- there isn't worse meat on earth to eat - and they ruin the whole territory for cattle grazing purposes. So the buffalo remain - sentimental reminders of the America of the past."

It seems that profit was the principal motive for Mr. Dooly to establish the 'Buffalo Herd' on Antelope Island. By the 1890s the American Bison was extinct over most of its former range and was becoming quite rare. Apparently John Dooly felt that he could ranch the 'buffaloes' and charge people money to hunt them. When keeping the bison for hunting proved economically unfeasible, attempts to ranch them on Antelope Island were terminated. In 1926 a final, large hunt was arranged and the buffalo on the island were hunted and most of them destroyed in one great slaughter. Later a remnant population that escaped the hunt was left alone and it began to increase. Eventually, the State of Utah purchased ownership of the herd which was once again numbering hundreds of individuals. Since that time, the bison have been carefully managed and monitored for health and absence of disease.

Every year, in late October, all the bison on the island are herded towards a central area in a 'Great Buffalo Roundup' and sent briefly into pens where they are examined, weighed and vaccinated and decisions are made on culling and selecting breeding stock. The majority of the bison are then released within a few days, and are again allowed to roam free on the island. The Antelope Island Bison Herd fluctuates between 550 and 700, and is one of the largest publicly owned bison herds in the nation. The reason for the variability of the size of the herd is that the bison produce approximately 150 to 200 calves annually, and since this is prime 'prairie' habitat for bison, with no significant predators, the herd can increase by up to 1/4 every year. It is currently felt that 700 is near the maximum preferred carrying capacity for bison on the island, so the excess bison need to be culled. Bison from this island are often sent to other herd locations around North America because of their genetic isolation, some unique genetic markers contained in the population, and because of their disease-free condition. Some bison are also purchased at the pen site in a yearly public auction, and are taken as meat or breeding stock for commercial 'buffalo' farms in other parts of the world.

Other mammals found on the island include Mule Deer (estimated to number 250), Pronghorn Antelope (approximately 200 on the island), Bighorn Sheep (estimated 200), Coyotes, Bobcats, Badgers, Porcupines, Cottontail rabbits, Jackrabbits, and several species of ground squirrels and other rodents.

Antelope Island and the Great Salt Lake attract numerous migrating and nesting birds and nearly 250 different species of birds have been observed on the island.

The two most popular places for bird watching on the island are at the causeway and near the Fielding Garr Ranch. Along the shoreline of the island, Mallard, Canada Goose, Avocets, Black-necked Stilts, Willets, Long-billed Curlews, Sanderlings, American White Pelicans, Pied-billed Grebes, Killdeer, Great Blue Herons, Snowy Egrets, White-faced Ibis and many migratory birds can be observed.

The island grasslands provide habitat for Ring-necked Pheasants, California Quail, Burrowing Owls, Chukar Partridges, Rock Pigeons, Mourning Doves, Horned Larks, Red-winged Blackbirds and many other species, plus several species of raptors. Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles, Prairie Falcons, Peregrine Falcons, Northern Harriers, American Kestrels, Great Horned Owls, Barn Owls, Ospreys and Red-Tailed Hawks are some of the species of raptors that can occur on the island.

• A herd of bison on Antelope Island.

• Fielding Garr Ranch on Antelope Island.

• Jack Rabbit in Antelope Island State Park

• Buffalo Bison Pair

• Coyote

• Mule Deer

• Bighorn Sheep

• Pronghorn Antelope

• Pronghorn Antelope

• Juvenile Bald Eagle