American bison transferred from Bronx Zoo to Osage Nation in Oklahoma
NEW YORK -- Six majestic American bison have been transferred from the Bronx Zoo to a Native American tribe in the Southwest.
The animals were sent to the Osage Nation in Oklahoma, where the tribe has been building its herd for four years.
The breeding program at the Bronx Zoo has actually been going on for more than 100 years.
"As early as 1907, the Bronx Zoo was breeding bison for reintroduction. In fact, the very first reintroduction took place here in Oklahoma when we sent 15 bison to the Wichita Reserve Bison Refuge," said Dr. Patrick Thomas, general curator and associate director of the zoo.
The bison are special because they are pure bred without any DNA from crossbreeding with cattle.
Nearly 200 bison are now roaming free on 3,000 acres of tribes' ancestral land.
