In two days, 45,000 have signed up to kill a bison in the US | nature

The famous national park in Arizona is looking for 12 “qualified volunteers” to reduce a herd that has grown enough to cause environmental damage.

The event is not classified as “hunting” because hunting is prohibited in national parks in the United States.

But some environmentalists warned that the move could set a dangerous precedent.

Registration opened Monday and closed 48 hours later with 45,040 subscribers.

25 initial names will be selected. After park officials assess their skills, including target shooting, 12 people will have the opportunity to kill a bison in an area of ​​the park known as the Northern Rim.

Volunteers are permitted to bring a support team, as per NPS rules.

Bison can weigh over 900 kg, but snipers must carry any dead bodies on foot, without the aid of automatic transport or pack animals.

The event will take place in rugged, rocky, and sometimes snowy terrain, over 2,440 meters.

Officials say the pilot program is necessary after the herd has rapidly grown to 600 bison in recent years. a NPS expects to reduce the North Rim resident herd to about 200 bisonIn order to reduce the destruction of Native American archaeological sites, soil erosion and water pollution.

Before being hunted to nearly extinction in the 19th century, bison (also known in the United States as buffalo) roamed most of the continent. It is estimated that 30 to 60 million bison was reduced to about 400 by the end of that century.

But ecologists say there is little evidence that the Grand Canyon was one of the habitats of these animals.