(((Perhaps they'll outlive the endangered American voter.)))
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/oct2008/2008-10-20-095.asp
Link: Bison Return to Iowa's Native Prairie.
(...)
"These animals will be in the corral for the first week, then in the west half of the trap pasture, then have access to the entire 125-acre trap pasture for winter.
The herd originated from the Wind Cave National Park herd and is historically and genetically valuable, the conservancy says. They have shown no evidence of cattle introgression or cattle genes as determined by current DNA testing techniques. (((They're not just Iowa bison, but GENETICALLY UNCONTAMINATED Iowa bison.)))
A recently completed study by Texas A&M University scientists into the genetics and health of 10 federal herds found the herd at Wind Cave National Park to be the only disease free, genetically pure federal herd in the country. (((What's with all those disease-ridden mongrel bison, then?)))
More than 150 years ago, bison were a natural and integral part of the prairie ecosystem before Europeans settled the vast central tallgrass prairie. Once 50 million animals roamed the western ranges, but they were killed until by the 1890s only about 2,000 animals remained.
Today it is estimated that the total herd size is in the 500,000 animal range, about half in Canada and half in the United States....
