They say you can't go back in time but something very close to that is taking shape in Montana. Dozens of bison calves were recently brought over from Canada to a large piece of land with very high hopes. Conservationists hope to restore this land to it's original state.
These baby bison are an important part of the equation to restore this land as they are from the original genetic stock of bison that used to roam what's known as the American Prairie Reserve. Hundreds of their ancestors that came from that same area were sold to Canada in 1906 for its Elk Island National Park. The bison were originally sold to Canada to help the species survive extinction which were being decimated in the U.S. Now in an act of returning the offspring of these original bison transplants, there is great expectation of returning this land to it's original biodiversity. The plan is to help restore a complete grassland ecosystem.
71 bison calves were released last Thursday to join 140 bison that were already on the 123,000-acre reserve. Only some 500,000 bison roam the rural U.S. lands today, which is only a fraction of the tens of millions that once were. The nonprofit says it aims to "create the largest wildlife reserve in the continental U.S., culminating in three million acres of private and public land and connecting one of the last large sections of untilled temperate grasslands on the continent."
The American bison (Bison bison), also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds. Their range once roughly comprised a triangle between the Great Bear Lake in Canada's far northwest, south to the Mexican states of Durango and Nuevo León, and east along the western boundary of the Appalachian Mountains. Because of commercial hunting and slaughter in the 19th century, the bison nearly went extinct and is today restricted to a few national parks and reserves.~ source ~ Wikipedia.
These baby bison are an important part of the equation to restore this land as they are from the original genetic stock of bison that used to roam what's known as the American Prairie Reserve. Hundreds of their ancestors that came from that same area were sold to Canada in 1906 for its Elk Island National Park. The bison were originally sold to Canada to help the species survive extinction which were being decimated in the U.S. Now in an act of returning the offspring of these original bison transplants, there is great expectation of returning this land to it's original biodiversity. The plan is to help restore a complete grassland ecosystem.
71 bison calves were released last Thursday to join 140 bison that were already on the 123,000-acre reserve. Only some 500,000 bison roam the rural U.S. lands today, which is only a fraction of the tens of millions that once were. The nonprofit says it aims to "create the largest wildlife reserve in the continental U.S., culminating in three million acres of private and public land and connecting one of the last large sections of untilled temperate grasslands on the continent."
The American Bison ~
The American bison (Bison bison), also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds. Their range once roughly comprised a triangle between the Great Bear Lake in Canada's far northwest, south to the Mexican states of Durango and Nuevo León, and east along the western boundary of the Appalachian Mountains. Because of commercial hunting and slaughter in the 19th century, the bison nearly went extinct and is today restricted to a few national parks and reserves.~ source ~ Wikipedia.
With their large, sharp horns, bison are formidable foes. During mating season, bulls fight for the right to breed with harems of cows, but rarely duel to the death. Photograph by Sam Abell
VIDEO: American Bison
This is so wonderful.