CUSTER, S.D. (AP) - More than 75 bidders traveled to Custer State Park in South Dakota to bring home one or more of the park's beloved bison.
Hundreds more watched as park officials auctioned off 256 bison and 17 burros during the park's annual buffalo auction on Saturday.
The goal of the auction is to thin the park's herd, which officials say is especially important after a mild winter and dry summer left the grassland parched and at risk for over-grazing.
The auction follows September's jaw-dropping, internationally famed buffalo stampede that draws thousands of spectators.
This year's prices were up for heifer calves and mature cows, while the price for 2-year-old bred heifers and bull calves dropped.
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