You have until Wednesday at 3 p.m. to bid on around 55 free-range Oklahoma bison being auctioned off by the state.
The herd lives at Foss State Park. Despite some recent rain, western Oklahoma is still dealing with a prolonged drought.
"Western Oklahoma, and especially that park, has still been in a drought situation. So, with the years of drought, the grass in the pasture where the animals graze is just — it’s not there," said Leslie Blair with the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department.
The drought and recent wildfires have also sent hay prices soaring, leaving the state unable to afford feeding the bison.
The winning bidder will have to relocate the entire herd, which is being sold "as is." It is only estimated at 55 bison, so there may be a few more or a few less, and some bison may be pregnant.
"The park will not be able to provide any assistance or equipment. We don’t have any of the pens or any ways to contain the bison. And so, that would all need to be provided by the winning bidder," Blair said.
This isn't the first time the state has sold bison through an auction.
"We have sold bison before through the state surplus auction, but at that point it was only, I believe, one bison with a calf. So, selling the entire herd is something new for us," Blair said.
At publication time Friday, there were 33 bids on the herd, with the current high bid at $16,101.03.
