Thousands of spectators were on hand for the 57th annual Buffalo Roundup watchinghorseback riders cull the state’s buffalo herd.
Dozens of riders gathered 1,500 buffalo into corrals near the newly built Bison Center in Custer State Park.
Gov. Kristi Noem was unable to ride in the event. It’s something she’s done annually since becoming governor, however, a recent back surgery kept Noem on the sidelines.
“It was kind of hard to not do that. I had a chance, though, for the first time to really go out and visit with people that travelled from across the state to come watch this and shake their hands,” Noem said. “There was people I met from, gosh, all across the country and from different countries. It was pretty hard for me not to be helping on the roundup, but I still had some special memories from a different experience this year.”
The buffalo will spend some time in corrals while the animals receive health checks and vaccinations. About 400 buffalo from the park are scheduled for auction in November.
