The DNR and Zoo decided on Minneopa State Park in 2013, saying it fit several criteria they were searching for including a sizable human population nearby, a big prairie for the herd and a chance to research the bison. North American bison herds were once estimated at 30 and 60 million animals, but they were hunted to near-extinction in the late 19th century.
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Minnesota Zoo Director of Animal Collections Tony Fisher says, “Just as Lewis and Clark seen the bison back in the 1830’s when they crossed the country on their exposition, we want the public of Minnesota to see those same kind of bison”.
But what’s different with this herd from the bison at Blue Mound is that visitors will be able to drive through the heard, much like they experience out in Custer State Park in South Dakota and Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.
In 2012, the Minnesota Zoo and the DNR entered into an agreement to preserve and expand the state’s bison herd. Eventually the herd will grow to 30-40 bison.
The group includes cow and calf pairs, as well as yearling bison heifers, the release says.
The reintroduction of bison will help naturally manage the prairie landscape.
It took a little coaxing to get the bison from a temporary holding pen where they have been acclimating to the new terrain.
“We ask that the public be patient while the bison settle in”, Kathy Dummer, regional manager for the DNR’s Parks and Trails Division, said in a news release. The park office and waterfalls area of the park remains open. “So, you do some simple math and we have a long way to go”.
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Three of the bison came from the Minnesota Zoo while eight were transferred from Blue Mounds State Park. For more information on the Minnesota Bison Conservation Herd, visit http://mnzoo.org/conservation/minnesota/bison-conservation-minnesota/.
