Wild Bison Made A Comeback To Canada's Oldest National Park After 140 Years

Wild bison just made a comeback to Canada's Banff National Park, which is the country's oldest park, on Feb. 1, 2017. It took about 140 years for these huge and herbivorous mammals to finally be home.

Bison were common in Canada in the early 1800s. On the other hand, they were outnumbered by the end of the 19th century because of hunting. The National Park plans to re-establish the species and about 16 bison were sent to the area. Most of them are pregnant. This would lead to the growing population of the herd, according to Inhabitat.

After more than a century, wild bison have returned to Canada's oldest national park https://t.co/thswm7Ahk7 pic.twitter.com/Nrs3nF9lBo

— Huffington Post (@HuffingtonPost) February 10, 2017

Harvey Locke, the Canadian conservationist, said that this is a great day for Banff National Park. He further said that it is a great day for Canada. He described it as one of the great days for wildlife conservation in the history of North America.

As seen in the video below, bison were transported by trucks from Elk Island National Park. Then, they were airlifted by helicopters. The shipping containers were lowered from the helicopters and the doors were opened. About 16 bison went out from the doors and ran fast into the snow. They will be closely monitored and expected to be released to roam freely in the park in the summer of 2018, according to The Huffington Post.

Parks Canada described the comeback of the wild creatures as "historic and cultural triumph." It stated that the restoration of bison to Banff will return a keystone species to the landscape, foster cultural reconnection, inspire discovery and provide stewardship and learning opportunities. It further said that by re-establishing a new wild population within its historical range in Banff National Park, this will be a key contribution to national and international bison conservation efforts.