What does the man want to talk to Ann about?

M: Thanks for stopping by, Ann. I’d like to talk to you about a research project I thought you might be interested in. A friend of mine is working at Yellowstone National Park this summer.
W: Yellowstone! I’ve always wanted to spend some time out in Wyoming. . .
M: Wait till you hear what the project is. .. She is working with the buffalo population. The herds have been increasing in size lately, which is good in theory. . .
W: Yes, I thought they were in danger of becoming extinct.
M: Well, apparently, because of all the winter tourists, paths are created through the snow. More buffalos are surviving the harsh winters because the paths make it easier for buffalo to move around and find food. But it turns out that some of the herds are infected with a bacterium.
W: Oh, I heard that Brucella abortus has been around for quite a while.
M: Yes, it has. And because the buffalo population is increasing, they’ve been roaming more than usual, and the disease has begun 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’s caused u lot of argument. Some of ranchers even want to destroy the buffalo herds.
W: That’s awful! Have they made much progress with the research?
M: So far, they’ve been collecting tissue samples from dead buffalo to see if the bacterium’s present.
W: I’d really be interested in working on this. You know I’ ve been researching diseased animal populations. ..
M: That’s why I thought of you.. . I took the liberty of mentioning your name to my friend. She is hoping you will 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 adviser wouldn’t want me to pass off this opportunity.