New Bison Coming To Northern Arizona
By 2017, a new herd of bison — ones with a rare genetic makeup — will roam a swath of protected habitat in northern Arizona. It's part of a national conservation effort involving the Arizona Game and Fish Department and several federal agencies.
Recently, the agency inked an agreement to bring bison from Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota. That herd will replace the current one at the Raymond Wildlife Area near Flagstaff.
DNA testing has revealed that those bison are the result of an unsuccessful cross breeding of bison and cattle. In contrast, the plains Bison being transported from South Dakota have a closer genetic lineage to the bison that once roamed northern Arizona.
The other bison herd managed by the state is at House Rock east of the Kaibab Plateau.
