Wood bison from Elk Island National Park have been transported to Alaska, according to Parks Canada.
A total of 40 wood bison have recently arrived in the northern American state, with the transfer hoping to restore the bison population in the area.
“It’s with tremendous gratitude that we accept these animals from Canada,” said Alaska Fish and Game commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang. “We also accept the responsibility that comes with them and are thrilled to be a part of the ongoing efforts to ensure the survival of this iconic North American species. The actions we collaboratively take today are not just for conservation, one day, it will be seen as our part of a larger history.”
Wood bison had gone extinct in Alaska by the early 1900s, with bison being the national mammal of the United States of America. The bison brought from Elk Island National Park will be the second wild wood bison herd in the United States.
There will also be another group of bison brought to the Lubicon Lake Band $453, an Indigenous nation in Northern Alberta.
Since the park had formed, there have been over 3,500 plains and woods bison transferred to other areas across the globe.
The Alaska bison will be housed at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks Large Animal Research Station until July before being taken to the Minto Flats State Game Refuge in the latter half of the summer.
