What did the professor want to talk to Ann about?

M: Thanks for stopping by, Ann. I’d like to talk to you about a research project that I thought you might be interested in. A friend of mine is working in Yellow Stone National. Park this summer.
W: Yellow Stone? I’ve always wanted to spend sometime out my coming.
M: Wait till you hear what the project is She is working with the buffalo population. Their herds have been increasing in size lately which is good in theory.
W: Yeah, but I thought they were in danger of becoming extinct.
M: Well, apparently because of all the winter tourists, paths are created in the snow. More buffalo are surviving the harsh winters because the paths make it easier for the buffalo to move around and find food. But it turns out that some of the herds are infected with bacteria.
W: Has it been around for quite a while?
M: Yes, it has. And because the buffalo population is increasing, they have been roaming more than usual. And the diseases began to spread to the cattle ranches that border the park.
W: That’s bad news. Isn’t that the disease that causes animals to abort their young?
M: Yes, And it caused a lot of controversy. Some of the ranches even want to destroy the buffalo herds.
W: That’s awful. Have they made much progress with the research?
M: So far they have been collecting tissue samples from dead buffalo to see if bacteria is Present.
W: I’d really be interested in working on this. You know I’ve been researching diseased animal population.
M: That’s why I thought of you. I took the liberty of mentioning your name to my friend. She’s hoping you’ll be able to spend the whole summer out there.
W: Well, I was going to work on my thesis a lot in July, but I’m sure my advisory wouldn’t want me to pass up this opportunity.