Buffalo sell for about $1 per pound, "which brings us, on average, about $1,100 per animal, which is very similar to beef."

Many people prefer buffalo meat to beef because, along with being very tasty, it is much lower in cholesterol than beef.

Island buffalo have one additional reason why they are popular with some buyers. It has been discovered that they have an extra allele in their genetic makeup. Some buffalo ranchers buy the island bison for that reason.

Exactly what that means, said Bates, "we're not sure.

"I'm working with a professor from Texas A&M, who maps the genetic history of buffalo. We'll get together next year and try to determine exactly what that extra allele means."

Those buffalo that were not sold were released back onto their open range.

The island buffalo are not all descendents of the original herd planted on the island around the turn of the century.

When the DPR took over ownership of the island in 1981, the buffalo were stunted because of the lack of a new genetic pool. To help the herd, larger bulls were introduced.

In 1990, five buffalo from Nebraska and four from Montana were released into the herd. Over the following years the average size of the island herd began to increase.

Even now, said Bates, new bloodlines are being brought to the island.

In some cases, trades are made for young bull calves. The latest inductees came from Custer State Park in South Dakota. When they mature, they will help to guarantee the future of the Antelope Island buffalo.

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