Wood bison return to Alaska for the first time in a century

Sunday, March 22, 2015, 8:02 PM - America's largest mammal is making a comeback.

Wildlife officials are getting ready to release 100 wood bison from a conservation centre into the Innoko Flats in Alaska. The location is southwest of Fairbanks.

The animals are being acclimated before being released at some point within the next two weeks.

"This has been an incredibly long project—23 years in the making," biologist Cathie Harms told the Associated Press. "To say we're excited is an understatement."

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While wood bison are the biggest member of the species, they aren't the most well known. Plains bison roam most of the United States while the wood variety lived only in Alaska.

The biggest members of the species can weigh more than 900 kg and be 6 feet tall. They thrive in Alaska due to the abundance of willow, one of their preferred choices to eat.

The wood bison started to disappear from Alaska during the late 1800s or early 1900s.

A Canadian connection . . .

When officials in Alaska realized that something needed to be done they reached out to a Canadian national park. The state brought in 53 bison and held them at them at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.

Despite the reintroduction to the state, officials will not be considering the population essential to the continued existence of the species. This is being done so that oil and gas drilling can continue in the area without consultation of federal agencies, which would be required if the area was considered a "critical habitat." That designation is given to the area in which a threatened species.

The animals are being flown in inside containers. Half of the animals being brought in are adult cows—25 of which are pregnant.

Officials don't expect predators to be a major issue.

"Wolves don't seem to know what to do with them," Harms said.

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