Plains Bison

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Plains Bison
Conservation status
CD
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Artiodactyla Family: Bovidae Subfamily: Bovinae Genus: Bison Species: B. bison Subspecies: B. bison bison
Trinomial name
Bison bison bison (Linnaeus, 1758)

The plains bison (Bison bison bison) is one of two subspecies of the American bison.

Plains bison have been introduced into a number of locations around North America. The furthest north introduction occurred in 1928 when the Alaska Game Commission brought bison to the area of present day Delta Junction. Bison taken from this transplant were also introduced to other Alaska locations, including Farewell and Chitina. The Delta Junction herd has fared best, with a population of multiple hundreds throughout the late 20th century. This herd is popular with hunters interested in hundreds of pounds of high quality meat, but has been a problem for farming operations in the area.

In 2006, plains bison from Elk Island National Park in Alberta were released into Grasslands National Park in Saskatchewan. This marks the first time plains bison have wandered the short-grass prairies of Canada since their near-extinction at the turn of the 20th century.

A herd of approximately 550 of these animals lives in, and can be seen at, the Wichita Mountains Wildlife refuge near Lawton, Oklahoma. The herd was started in 1907 with stock from the New York City Zoo^[clarify]. Fifteen animals were shipped to Oklahoma, where they had already become extinct due to excessive hunting and over harvesting.

[edit] External links

• Globe and Mail - Plains bison return to the Prairies
• Zao Novbizon, bison farm in Novgorod, Russia