Following years of deliberation over reintroducing the animals to Banff, where they once roamed by the millions, these 16 individuals were transported out of Elk Island National Park, a nature reserve located on the outskirts of Edmonton, Alberta, which has long been an enclave for wild bison. After an overnight stay at the at Ya Ha Tinda Ranch near Banff, the bison were airlifted into their new range within the park. [...]
These are the first wild bison to set hooves down in Banff National Park in well over a century, after their forebears were over-hunted nearly to the point of extinction during the 1800s. They don't have free range of the park at this point, and will remain in an enclosed pasture in order to acclimate to the new surroundings. Wildlife experts have tagged the herd and will closely monitor its behavior over the next year to make sure the reintroduction process continues smoothly.
From there, the plan is to introduce the animals—and their currently gestating calves—to a larger 1,200-square-kilometre range around June 2018, so that they can further integrate into the local ecosystem. Conservationists hope that this process will mark the first steps towards restoring the animals to their previous role as keystone species in Banff's wild habitats. The program follows the lead of several other bison reintroduction efforts across Rocky Mountains and North American prairies.
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