Bison Relatedness Tool
The relatedness tool is a sophisticated scientific analysis to show which bison are closely related to each other. The tool does an excellent job of showing how bison are related within a herd. Genetic diversity between family groups within the herd is shown plus a score measuring inbreeding. The tool includes bison from many parks, so if there is a genetic link between your bison and park bison it can be shown.
The main tool results are in a bar graph. Each bar represents one bison. If the bar color is the same between two bison it means those animals are closely related.
The Tool includes bison from Caprock Canyon, Elk Island Plains, Elk Island Woods, Wood Buffalo Park, Yellowstone Park, Custer Park, Wind Cave Park, Henry Mountains Park, National Bison Range, Antelope Island, Fort Niobrara, Wichita Mountains, Chickasaw Recreational Area, Book Cliffs, Neal Smith, Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Kaibab Plateau, Tallgrass Prairie, Badlands, National Elk Refuge plus several private ranches including Durham, Wolverine and Wigness.
The goal of the Tool is to be able to better manage the genetic diversity that made it through the genetic bottleneck of the 1880’s near extinction of bison.
In order to do the analysis you need to first do the Neogen parentage test on your bison, then request the analysis through the CBA office. Cost for the test is $20 CDN plus GST.
