For the first time in more than 100 years, the U.S. has a herd of wild bison.

Herd of bison released into Alaskan wild after species was hunted to near-extinction

BY Deborah Hastings Tuesday, April 7, 2015  NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

  

For the first time in more than a century, there is a herd of bison in the American wilderness.
The woolly mammals, hunted to near-extinction, were led by Alaska Department of Fish and Game employees into an expanse of meadows in the Lower Innoko/Yukon rivers, KTVA-TV reported.
The bison had been collected over a 20-year process, in which the state received several of the massive beasts from Canada. The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center flew the 1,500-pound animals on cargo planes to the release site.

They were led into the wild on Friday. Each bison is fitted with a radio collar so they can be tracked and monitored in their new habitat.
The North American animals that once roamed the continent in large numbers were driven to extinction by over hunting.