Hard Truths of Conservation (2022) s01e04 Episode Script

Episode 4

1
(air whooshing loudly)
(bison snuffle softly)
(inspiring orchestra music)
- The bison is an American icon.
I have always been
fascinated by the depictions
of vast herds roaming
the Great Plains.
(inspiring orchestra music)
(footfalls thud softly)
(bison snuffles loudly)
They have etched their place
in the American psyche.
(inspiring orchestra music)
(bison rumbles softly)
My curiosity has
led me to explore
the current state of
bison and conservation
across the continent.
(air rumbles dramatically)
(siren wailing loudly)
Hunting has become a
controversial practice
in modern times.
My name is Dan Cabela and
I'm traveling the globe
to explore the true impact
that hunting is having
on our remaining
wild landscapes.
(lioness roars softly)
(sonorous synth tone)
(somber piano music)
At one point, there were
at least 30 million bison
roaming across the country.
(bison snuffling softly)
(somber piano music)
(gun fires loudly)
(somber piano music continues)
(gun firing loudly)
A few conservation
minded individuals
managed to preserve
the few that were left.
(camera clicks softly)
(hopeful guitar music)
(camera clicks softly)
(hopeful guitar music continues)
(bison snuffles softly)
(hopeful guitar music continues)
From the low point
of 1000 or less,
they have recovered to
nearly 500,000 strong.
(bison snuffle softly)
At least 400,000 of those
are privately owned.
(hopeful guitar music continues)
(man whistles loudly)
(bull rumbles softly)
(hopeful guitar music continues)
- You talked about
a great opportunity.
I think it's here in
front of you today.
But whenever they're ready
to bring the first animal,
I guess we'll get started.
This is your grand
champion bull.
He's weighing 1,729 pounds.
Here's the best of
the best right there.
10,000, 11,000.
(auctioneer chants loudly)
Five, 6,000, I'll find ya.
And $11,000 here.
And $6,000.
(auctioneer chants loudly)
Nine.
(auctioneer chants loudly)
Here we go, here we go
(auctioneer chants loudly).
14,000 for him,
14,000 for him, ay.
Sold at 13,500,
that's number six.
- From the auction, I head to
the National Bison Convention
to learn about their
ranching industry.
Hey Dave, I appreciate
you allowing us
to attend the conference here.
And just wanna get
a little information
about what you guys do and
what your group is about.
- Absolutely.
The National Bison Association,
we represent about
1,150 members,
48 states, 10 foreign countries.
We represent primarily the
commercial bison ranchers.
And everybody's playing a role
in bringing this animal back.
When we call bison
the greatest example
of market-based
species restoration
in the history of North America,
and that's because
we, as ranchers,
are working to bring
back the animals.
But since consumers,
those customers out there,
every time they
take a bite of bison
or go out and have a bison
hunt or, you know, whatever,
they're helping us to
bring back this animal.
What could be more
sustainable than the animal
that's been part
of this ecosystem
for thousands and
thousands of years?
Man, that's the
beauty of this story
is from this
grassland ecosystem,
that's more than 30% of
North America's land mass,
evolved under continuous
interaction with bison.
(people chatting in background)
- [Dan] I was
surprised by the vigor
and passion of this industry
and the vital role it has
played in bringing back bison.
- 18,000, it helps us in Vegas.
And our efforts to increase.
(man speaking indistinctly)
Thank you.
(audience clapping loudly)
- [Dan] Hey, John.
- Hey.
- Pleasure to finally
meet you.
- Nice to meet you, Dan.
- How are the bison doing on
your fantastic Wyoming ranch
that I keep hearing about?
- Well, the bison are doing
great on our ranch, thanks.
The Durham Ranch is what
we're talking about.
It's a family ranch.
I'm third generation that's
been involved with the ranch.
About 55,000 acres,
close to 90 square miles.
My grandfather and
my dad, you know,
were in the meat business
and put this ranch
together back in the '60s.
It's pretty novel back then
to market bison
meat to the public.
I'm kind of thinking
there's so much to be said
about this and we
could talk all day,
but my thinking is, I think
we should just head north,
go to the ranch,
get on the ground
and we'll learn a
lot better there.
- That's a great idea.
(mellow guitar music)
So I found myself
on a highway north.
(horn honks softly)
Imagining what these
planes would've looked like
full of bison.
(counter thrills softly)
And wondering what lay
ahead at Durham Ranch.
(mellow guitar music continues)
(engine whirs softly)
(air gusting softly)
(mellow guitar music continues)
(gravel crunches softly)
(mellow guitar music continues)
(gravel crunches softly)
(mellow guitar music continues)
(door thuds loudly)
(door rattles softly)
(mellow guitar music continues)
- This is a map of the ranch.
The bold green line
is the perimeter.
Each one of these areas
represents a grazing paddock.
The reason why we
have so many paddocks
is to allow us to control the
time element of the grazing.
In essence, what
we're trying to do
with the number of paddocks
and the time-controlled grazing
is more or less mimic the way
it would've been naturally
with the large herds of bison
grazing hundreds of years ago.
We plan out our grazing a
year in advance, basically.
I was just getting ready
to head out the feed.
So if you want to join
me, might be kind of fun.
(mellow guitar music)
(gravel crunches softly)
- John invited me to
Durham Ranch in Wyoming
to learn more about the
practice of bison ranching.
(door thuds loudly)
(door rattles softly)
(mellow guitar music continues)
John shows me some of the bison
that were raised
on Durham Ranch.
- The meat is
naturally lower in fat,
naturally lower in
cholesterol, high iron.
Varying products from
steaks, to skewers,
and burgers, and brats
appeal to the consumer.
The marketplace is retail
through grocery stores
and restaurants as well.
Consumer acceptance is very high
which is a good
thing for producers.
It's a good thing
for the species.
The fact that people
are wanting more of it
which creates the incentive
to raise more of them.
(mellow guitar music continues)
(door rattles loudly)
Here's where we store the feed.
We use a free-choice cafeteria
style mineral program.
They actually have their choice
of 16 different
vitamins and minerals
in a trailer that's out
with 'em all the time.
And instinctually, they know
how to balance their diet.
So they'll sniff or
lick whatever mineral,
trace mineral, vitamin it
is that they're looking for.
Take just a little
bit of it and move on.
We're gonna go give 'em just
a couple pounds a piece.
That's what we do
in the wintertime.
This helps keep them from losing
quite as much weight
as they might,
which helps 'em come
back in the spring.
Be prepared to breed.
(engine chugs loudly)
(alarm beeps softly)
(gate clinks softly)
(gate creaks and rattles loudly)
- Been fed by bison a few
times, but I've never fed them.
(bison snuffle loudly)
(engine whirs softly)
- There's 680 plus
animals in this group.
(bison snuffle softly)
One of the functions that
they provide on the land
is to actually create contact
between the plant
material and the ground.
And it needs good
seed to soil contact
before those seeds can
actually germinate.
This dung right here
is breaking down.
There's actually
even a little bit
of green grass right there.
Again, a function of
animal impact on the land.
Think about this in a
much, much larger scale.
You can just imagine
what the impact
and the importance of
these animals were,
particularly in the arid
semi-arid environments,
like the Great Plains.
(hopeful orchestra music)
Lots of connections, lots
of interconnectedness.
I love listening to 'em breathe.
You can just hear 'em.
(John inhales and
exhales audibly)
(bison snuffles loudly)
(hopeful orchestra
music continues)
It sort of gets in your blood.
You fall in love
with the animal.
What we're trying to
do here on this land
is improve the land,
make it healthier.
We want it to be around
for generations to come.
Healthy land, healthy
people, healthy communities,
it's a healthy company.
(bison snuffle loudly)
(hooves thud softly)
(hopeful orchestra music)
(hopeful orchestra
music continues)
- While these animals
are effectively domestic,
they are still living naturally
in their natural environment
as a keystone species.
(hopeful orchestra
music continues)
Ideally, all of these
animals roaming freely
would (music drowns out speech).
However, human progress
won't allow that.
Could you imagine 10,000 bison
walking through
your city or town?
The next best thing
is to give them value,
which creates an
economic incentive
and promotes
healthier ecosystems
and more natural spaces
for bison to roam.
I had to ask myself
what would happen
to the bison population
without the support of
the ranching industry.
(engine revs softly)
I've traveled far and wide
to get a better understanding
of my relationship to wildlife
and deep meaning
that that has for me.
(mellow orchestra music)
Bison ranching isn't the
only form of consumptive use
that is having an impact
on bison populations.
(mellow orchestra
music continues)
Another form of sustainable use
that has kept the bison on
the prairies is hunting.
(air whooshing softly)
(counter thrills softly)
There's something
special about coming back
to the town that I grew up
in to hunt my first bison
(mellow orchestra
music continues)
(engine revs softly)
(flag flaps softly)
(geese honk softly)
Head out and we'll
head the Sandhills
and see if we can find a
bison up there in the hills
that you want taken care of.
- [Dan] Sounds good.
(mellow orchestra
music continues)
- So the ranch we're
going to is 87,000 acres.
And it's 22 miles north to south
and about eight miles
wide at the widest part.
So it's really long and skinny,
but goes through some
really pretty cool country.
(mellow orchestra
music continues)
- [Dan] We were soon out of town
and into the wide open
prairies of Nebraska.
(mellow orchestra
music continues)
- Those bulls will kind
of want be close to her,
but they won't want
to be in the herd.
They like to hang up
in those big hills too,
the big bulls do.
Now, is the fun time,
we get to go find them.
- As the hunt commences,
anticipation grows.
There are many unknowns,
but by the end,
all of my questions
will be answered.
(somber piano music continues)
There were a surprising
number of bison
glassing for a good bull.
I couldn't help feeling like
I was stepping back in time.
(bison snuffles softly)
(somber piano music continues)
(case clicks softly)
(guns cock softly)
So we found a couple of bulls
and we're gonna go take a look.
They're just over
this rise right here.
I don't know how
far out they are,
but we're gonna
go check 'em out.
(somber piano music continues)
(brush shuffles softly)
There's something unique about
harvesting your own animal.
You're responsible for it.
You are participating
in a tradition
that has been part
of human society
since the earliest records.
Connected to where your
food is coming from.
(brush shuffles softly)
- We'll creep up here and get
a good look down below first.
- [Dan] As you approach,
nervousness sets in,
but you try to find clarity.
(air rumbles softly)
(brush shuffles loudly)
(air rumbles softly)
(anticipatory synth music)
- They're not gonna,
just this guy gets up,
he's not gonna go anywhere
(speaking away from mic).
This way.
(air rumbles softly)
(anticipatory synth music)
Let's get the bead
about 50 yards.
- Okay, okay.
(air rumbles softly)
(anticipatory synth music)
(bison snuffles loudly)
- One on the right,
the back one's the
(speaking away from mic).
(bison snuffles loudly)
Left, the back one
that's broad side.
- [Dan] Yup.
(anticipatory synth music)
(gun fires loudly)
- [Judd] Good shot.
(grass rustling softly)
- There are a mixture
of emotions that collide
after you pull the trigger.
(somber orchestra music)
Happiness, sadness, fear,
elation, sorrow, remorse.
(somber orchestra
music continues)
It's difficult to describe.
I'm not sure I can describe it.
It's something that is
unique to these moments.
Something I don't
entirely understand,
but something I feel deeply.
(anticipatory synth music)
There's something unique about
harvesting your own animal.
You're responsible for it.
(inspirational orchestra music)
- [Judd] Left, the back
one that's broad side.
- [Dan] Yeah.
(inspirational orchestra
music continues)
(gun fires loudly)
(inspirational orchestra
music continues)
- [Judd] Good shot.
(inspirational orchestra
music continues)
- [Dan] A bison bull can
weigh up to 2,000 pounds
and it's some of the
healthiest meat available.
- [Judd] Okay.
Go.
(inspirational orchestra
music continues)
(grass shuffling softly)
(inspirational orchestra
music continues)
(engine revs softly)
(inspirational orchestra
music continues)
- Randy.
- Steve.
- Dan, nice to meet you.
(flesh scrapes softly)
(inspirational orchestra chord)
(inspirational orchestra music)
- This is an experience.
And you'd like for it to be
a good experience for you.
- What they've been
suggesting is burger,
maybe some pounds of
steaks, you know, nice cuts.
Thank you.
And what makes harvesting
your own animal so special,
is sharing it with your
friends and family.
(people chatting in background)
(inspirational orchestra
music continues)
(meat sizzling softly)
(knives scrape softly)
(inspirational orchestra
music continues)
As the consumption of bison
become more mainstream,
the market will
continue to grow.
(meat sizzles loudly)
Not only is bison meat a
healthy alternative to beef,
but the industry has
(chatting drowns out speech)
America's prairies of it's made
of (speaking away from mic).
- Well, this is a
bison tenderloin.
(people chatting in background)
- An animal that has no use
to humans has no future.
(inspirational orchestra
music continues)
Whether or not you agree
to sustainable use,
the role this
practice has played
in restoring an American
icon should be considered.
(inspirational orchestra
music continues)
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