Wood Bison Downlisted from “Endangered” to “Threatened” in the US

The Alaska Wood Bison Restoration program, perhaps the most significant reintroduction program for a large mammal species this century, will move one step closer to releasing wood bison into the Interior Region of Alaska. The wood bison, the northern subspecies of American bison, was extirpated over 100 years ago in the state through over-hunting.

Last week, the US Fish and Wildlife Service published a final rule downlisting the wood bison from “Endangered” to “Threatened,” enabling the bison to be released at designated sites in the Interior of Alaska.