Ted Turner Donates Buffalo

Media tycoon Ted Turner donated three young buffalo bulls from his New Mexico herd to wildlife managers in Texas.

The buffalo (scientists call them bison) will be introduced into the Texas bison herd at the Caprock Canyon State Park next summer, in hopes they will provide much needed influx of genetic diversity.

The Texas herd originated in the late 1800s with five bison calves captured by cattleman Charles Goodnight. The herd was donated to the state in 1997 and moved to the park. But calves have been rare and the average age of the herd, now at 40 animals, has increased by three years. If birth rates were normal, the average age should stay static.

The herd is suffering from "inbreeding depression" -- a lack of fresh genes, scientists say.

-- LiveScience Staff

Credit: Chester Hawkins, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department