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48-469: A high ratio of enclosures are cageless, relying upon moat features to keep the animals in place. The zoo was the first zoo in the world not organized by species, but also by geographical aspects. For example, the wood bison share their enclosure with prairie dogs . In 2013, the zoo was ranked the fourth best zoo in Europe (up from 12th). It focuses on conservation and captive breeding rare species such as

96-427: A barrier between the bison and their food source, so they must use their large heads and neck muscles to dig for edible morsels. After the temperature rises and the snow melts, wood bison also feed on silverberry and willow leaves in the summer. Researchers believe wood bison are beneficiaries of a natural law known as Bergmann's rule due to their sheer size. Their increased body mass over their southern cousin,

144-789: A buffalo herd near the Palo Duro Canyon . This herd peaked at 250 in 1933. Bison of this herd were introduced into the Yellowstone National Park in 1902 and into the larger zoos and ranches throughout the nation. A herd of around 80 of these animals lives in the Caprock Canyons State Park near Quitaque, Texas , located about 50 miles northeast of Plainview, Texas . Ted Turner owns America's largest secured bison herd in Cimarron, New Mexico 's Vermejo Park Ranch . Boy Scouts of America own

192-481: A byproduct of metabolizing the food, further contributing to maintaining body temperature. Although wood bison are native to Canada and Alaska, they have also been introduced to Yakutia , Russia as part of an ongoing species restoration project. Yakutia provides similar climatic conditions as in Canada, albeit with colder average temperatures. The Northwest Territories in Canada can drop as low as −60 °C during

240-525: A nuisance, some people were concerned about the demise of this "North American icon", so individual landowners and zoos took steps to protect them. Some people saved bison with the express purpose of ranching or hunting them (see Antelope Island bison herd ). Others, such as the American Bison Society , were also formed with the idea of saving the species and reintroducing them to natural range. Plains bison have since been reintroduced into

288-572: A number of locations in North America. Five main foundation herds of American bison supplied animals intended to save them from extinction. The northernmost introduction occurred in 1928 when the Alaska Game Commission brought bison to the area of present-day Delta Junction . Bison taken from this transplant were also introduced to other Alaskan locations, including Farewell and Chitina . The Delta Junction herd prospered

336-701: A private bison herd in Cimarron's Philmont Scout Ranch . In 2013, bison were reintroduced to Fort Belknap Indian Reservation from Yellowstone National Park. In 2019, a herd was established in Pleistocene Park in Northern Siberia. https://pleistocenepark.ru/animals/bison/ A herd of plains bison were successfully reintroduced to Banff National Park in Alberta in early 2017. The bison were kept under observation in an enclosed pasture of

384-936: A remote area to form the second herd. Pleistocene Park in Yakutia originally wanted to bring wood bison into its enclosures, but failed to do so and brought in European bison instead. Plains bison Bison bison montanae The plains bison ( Bison bison bison ) is one of two subspecies / ecotypes of the American bison , the other being the wood bison ( B. b. athabascae ). A natural population of plains bison survives in Yellowstone National Park (the Yellowstone Park bison herd consisting of an estimated 4,800 bison) and multiple smaller reintroduced herds of bison in many places in

432-742: Is a possibility that there are surviving pure wood bison. Publicly owned free-ranging herds in Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories comprise 90% of existing wood bison, although six smaller public and private captive-breeding herds with conservation objectives comprise roughly 10% of the total, or around 900 head. These captive herds and two large isolated free-ranging herds all derive from disease-free and morphologically representative founding stock from Wood Buffalo National Park. These captive herds are particularly important for conservation and recovery purposes, because

480-732: The Custer State Park , the Wind Cave , and the Wood Buffalo National Park bison herds and subsidiary herds descended from it in Canada. Park officials transferred plains bison from Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge to Theodore Roosevelt National Park 's South Unit in 1956 and its North Unit in 1962 for population increase. In 1969, plains bison from Elk Island National Park were released into Prince Albert National Park in Saskatchewan , creating

528-710: The European Endangered Species Programme (EEP). On 25 February 1905 the Verein Zoologischer Garten München e.V. ( transl.  Society of the Zoological Garden of Munich ) was founded and the Hellabrunn area was chosen as the location for the zoo. The zoo was designed by architect Emanuel von Seidl , and opened to the public on 1 August 1911. In 1922, the zoo was closed due to

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576-729: The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge near Lawton, Oklahoma . The herd was started in 1907 with stock from the New York Zoological Park, now known as the Bronx Zoo and located in the Bronx Park . Fifteen animals were shipped to Oklahoma, where bison had already become extinct due to excessive hunting and overharvesting by non-native commercial buffalo hunters from 1874 to 1878. Some of these specimens have been released in other areas of

624-509: The boreal forest regions of Alaska , Yukon , western Northwest Territories , northeastern British Columbia , northern Alberta , and northwestern Saskatchewan . The term "buffalo" is considered to be a misnomer for this animal, as it is only distantly related to either of the two "true buffalo", the water buffalo and the African buffalo . However, " bison " is a Greek word meaning an ox -like animal, while "buffalo" originated with

672-417: The cattle industry rapidly encroaching on the park's boundaries. Disease management strategies and initiatives began in the 1950s and have yet to result in a reduction of the incidence of either disease, despite considerable expenditure and increased public involvement. The herd currently has a total population around 2,500, largely as a result of conservation efforts by Canadian government agencies. In 1988,

720-416: The groundwater level here is rather high and the water is of very good quality, the zoo can cover its needs for freshwater by using its own wells . Wood bison The wood bison ( Bison bison athabascae ) or mountain bison (often called the wood buffalo or mountain buffalo ), is a distinct northern subspecies or ecotype of the American bison . Its original range included much of

768-628: The inflation in Germany. It was re-opened on 23 May 1928. It became the first Geo-Zoo in the world (animals were shown and kept with other animals of the same geographic region). It also engaged in controversial back-breeding to "recreate" extinct animals like Heck cattle (to mimic the Aurochs ) and the Tarpan . Lutz Heck was a renowned zoologist in Nazi Germany, his brother Heinz Heck

816-608: The plains bison ( Bison bison bison ), while the latter probably evolved from a mixing of Bison occidentalis and Bison antiquus . It is unclear whether today's animals preserve the original phenotypes existing prior to the 1920s. The wood bison is larger and heavier than the plains bison. Despite a limited number of samples, large males have been recorded to reach 3.35 m (11.0 ft) in body length with 95 cm (3.12 ft) tails, 201 cm (6.59 ft) tall at withers , and 1,179 kg (2,600 lb) in weight, making it morphologically more similar to at least one of

864-403: The plains bison , produces more heat and provides a larger frame on which to store fat for the winter months. This, along with several other adaptations, helps the animal survive in the harsh climate of northern Canada and Alaska . The wooly hair that covers the body is such an effective insulator that falling snow will collect on the bison rather than melting, further insulating the animal from

912-422: The shortgrass prairies of Canada since their near extinction at the turn of the 20th century. According to the national agency Parks Canada, the entire breeding population of these wild and "semiwild" bison is descended from just eight individuals that survived the period of near extinction, due to overhunting and tuberculosis infecting the herd. A herd of about 650 of these animals lives in, and can be seen at,

960-630: The 1920s, being measured from degrees of morphological overlaps between pure plains bison, even surpassing the preserved herds at Elk Island National Park and Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary. Natural hybridization between wood and plains bison presumably occurred for a limited extent in the regions where the two ecotypes (or subspecies) overlapped. Wood–plains hybrids are generally called "Parkland bison". As below-mentioned, disease-free and genetically unique populations of wood bison have been discovered in recent years. If these populations had little or no contacts with bison from Wood Buffalo National Park, there

1008-686: The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada changed the subspecies' conservation status from "endangered" to " threatened ", where it remains. On June 17, 2008, 53 wood bison were transferred from Alberta's Elk Island National Park to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center in Anchorage, Alaska . There they were to be held in quarantine for two years and then reintroduced to their native habitat in

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1056-540: The French fur trappers who called these massive beasts bœufs , meaning ox or bullock—so both names, "bison" and "buffalo", have a similar meaning. Though the name "bison" might be considered to be more scientifically correct, the name "buffalo" is listed in many dictionaries as an acceptable alternative for American bison. In reference to this animal, the term "buffalo" dates to 1635 in North American usage when

1104-671: The Minto Flats area near Fairbanks , but this plan was placed on hold. In May 2014, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a final rule allowing the reintroduction of a "non-essential experimental" population of wood bison into three areas of Alaska. As a result, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game introduced the first herd of 100 animals to the Innoko River area in western Alaska in spring 2015. Currently, about 7,000 wood bison remain in wildernesses within

1152-568: The Northwest Territories, the Yukon, British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba . Recently, several bison herds that are disease-free, and genetically unique compared to the populations within Wood Buffalo National Park (WBNP), have been detected. These herds were once considered as merely split groups from WBNP bison, however members of First Nations and Métis community members claimed that they knew for generations that one of

1200-496: The Sturgeon River bison herd. At a population around 300 animals, they form a free herd able to wander where they please. The bison are spread throughout Prince Albert National Park's southwestern corner, as well as some crown and private land in the area. In 2006, plains bison from Elk Island National Park in Alberta were released into Saskatchewan's Grasslands National Park . This marks the first time they have wandered

1248-628: The United States as well as southern portions of the Canadian Prairies . At least 25 million American bison were once spread across the United States and Canada, but by the late 1880s, the total number of bison in the United States had been reduced to fewer than 600 , most of which lived on private ranches. The last known free-roaming population of bison consisted of fewer than 30 in the area that later became Yellowstone National Park. Although farmers and ranchers considered bison to be

1296-576: The United States, such as Paynes Prairie in Florida . Only one southern plains bison herd was established in Texas . A remnant of the last of this relict herd had been saved in 1876. "Molly" Goodnight had encouraged her rancher husband, Charles Goodnight , to save some of the last bison which were taking refuge in the Texas Panhandle . By saving these few plains bison, she was able to establish

1344-547: The Yellowstone Park bison herd; yet, they are all of the same subspecies Bison bison bison . Currently, over 500,000 bison are spread over the United States and Canada, but most of these are on private ranches, and some of them have small amounts of hybridized cattle genes. Significant public bison herds that do not appear to have hybridized domestic cattle genes are the Yellowstone Park, the Henry Mountains,

1392-641: The chronological subspecies of ancestral steppe bisons ( Bison priscus sp.) and Bison occidentalis . It is among the largest extant bovids and is the heaviest and longest terrestrial animal in North America and Siberia. The peak of the wood bison's shoulder hump sits anterior to the forelegs, while the plains bison's shoulder hump is located directly above the forelegs. Wood bison also have larger horn cores, darker and woollier hair and less hair on their forelegs, with smaller and more pointed beards. Plains bison are capable of running faster, reaching up to 65 km/h (40 mph), and longer than bison living in

1440-412: The cold. When food becomes more scarce in the winter, wood bison are also capable of slowing down their metabolic rate. The primary benefit is slower digestion rates which means the animals are able to pull more nutrients out of each meal. This results in fewer necessary feedings to maintain energy demands. In addition to greater nutrient absorption, the slower digestion rate means more heat is produced as

1488-532: The extremely small sizes of other herds, and the herd became protected under a unique designation. To strengthen the protections, a new sanctuary Kitaskino Nuwenëné Wildland Provincial Park was established in 2019 by a historic collaboration of the government and indigenous communities including first nations. Along with the Ronald Lake herd, the much smaller Wabasca herd has also become a subject of special protection. The reintroductions of muskoxen and

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1536-472: The forests and mountains. Wood bison reach sexual maturity at age 2. Females will often rear their first calf by age 3 and may produce a single additional offspring every 1–2 years. Mating season typically runs from July to September, with most activity occurring during August as evidenced by the fact most calves are born in May following a 9-month gestation period. Bison young are precocial , with many mastering

1584-473: The genetic stock , the phenotype, and health condition. Between 1925 and 1928, 6,673 plains bisons, compared to 1,500–2,000 wood bisons, were translocated from Buffalo National Park into the Wood Buffalo National Park by the Government of Canada, to avoid mass culling because of overpopulation, despite protests from conservation biologists. The translocation was regarded as a severe tragedy because all

1632-407: The herds, the Ronald Lake herd, is a separated population. This, and genetic uniqueness and disease-free conditions of these herds indicate that these herds either remained isolated or had limited contacts with animals from WBNP despite being located adjacent to the boundary of WBNP. The Ronald Lake herd became particular interest among researchers and conservationists due to its genetic uniqueness and

1680-415: The horns, bow strings and thread from the sinew , waterproof containers from the bladder, paint brushes from the tail and bones with intact marrow, and cooking oil from tallow. Skulls can be used ceremonially as altars. Rawhide is used for parfleches , shield covers, and moccasin soles. Hides with the fur are used for blankets, wraps, and warm clothing. Tanned hides , the finest of which are tanned with

1728-480: The introduction of wood bison into Yakutia , Russia, were first proposed by zoologists P. B. Yurgenson in 1961 and O. V. Egorov in 1963. Compared to the first reintroduction of muskoxen in 1996, an outherd of wood bison was established as part of an international conservation project in 2006, where the related steppe bison ( B. priscus ) died out over 6,000 years ago. Additional bison were sent from Elk Island National Park in 2011, 2013, and 2020 to Russia, bringing

1776-444: The larger free-ranging herds in and around Wood Buffalo National Park were infected with bovine brucellosis and tuberculosis after the plains bison had been translocated from Buffalo National Park. Diseases including brucellosis and tuberculosis remain endemic in the free-ranging herds in and around Wood Buffalo National Park. The diseases represent a serious management issue for governments, various local indigenous groups , and

1824-414: The local forage. Loss of functional habitat is a major ecological concern for this species due to the density-dependent nature of reproduction. Wood bison are herbivorous grazers that feed primarily on grasses , sedges , and forbs . Due to frequent and heavy snowfall in their native habitat, food availability fluctuates throughout the year, leading to a diverse and varied diet. Deep snow often creates

1872-520: The most, with a population of several hundred throughout the late 20th century. This herd is popular with hunters interested in hundreds of pounds of high-quality meat, but has been a problem for farming operations in the area. Though American bison generally prefer grasslands and plains habitats, they are quite adaptable and live in conditions ranging from desert, as in the case of the Henry Mountains bison herd , to forested areas, such as those of

1920-408: The park until the summer of 2018, after which they have been allowed to roam free. Observation is to be continued until 2022 according to Parks Canada . Besides using the meat, fat, and organs for food, plains tribes have traditionally created a wide variety of tools and items from bison. These include arrow points, awls , beads, berry pounders, hide scrapers, hoes, needles from bones, spoons from

1968-556: The rare drill and silvery gibbons . Also gorillas , giraffes , elephants , wood bisons , elk and Arctic foxes were successfully bred in the zoo, which houses many species. It is one of the very few zoos that allows visitors to bring dogs. Tierpark Hellabrunn is a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) and participates in

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2016-415: The remnant wood bisons were thought to be hybridized with the larger numbers of plains bisons. However, in 1957 a relatively pure herd of about 200 was discovered in an isolated part of Wood Buffalo National Park, although gene flows likely occurred elsewhere within the park when the herd was discovered, and this herd unlikely remained completely isolated and did not preserve pure genes and phenotype. Thus

2064-527: The skills required to evade predators, such as running and kicking, on the same day they are born. Reproduction is limited by the amount of habitat available. Bison tend to disperse when there is not enough food to sustain a population within the current range, which causes a decrease in population density, indirectly lowering the rate at which mating occurs. Older bulls will typically have smaller ranges than female herds, because they live either solitarily or in smaller herds and therefore exert less pressure on

2112-468: The term was first recorded for the American mammal. It thus has a longer history than the term "bison", which was first recorded in 1774. The "eastern bison" ( B. b. pennsylvanicus ) from the eastern United States, a junior synonym of B. b. bison had been called "wood(s) bison" or "woodland bison", not referring to B. b. athabascae . The wood bison is potentially more primitive in phenotype than

2160-496: The total to over 120. A team of Russian and Korean scientists proposed a potential de-extinction of the steppe bison with wood bison in Siberia using cloning techniques. As of 2019, the number of bison increased to more than 210 animals, and a portion of the herd was released into the wild. To strengthen the restoration further, the Yakutia's Red List officially registered wood bison. In 2020, 10 juveniles were translocated into

2208-502: The winter months while areas in Yakutia, such as Oymyakon have been reported to drop as low as −71.2 °C. Despite the frigid temperatures, the bison herd is adapting well to the new environment. As with other bison, the wood bison's population was devastated by hunting, loss of habitat, and other factors. By the early 20th century, they were regarded as extremely rare. Wood bison populations have been susceptible to hybridization with illness-infected plains bison, thereby polluting

2256-623: The wood bison in the Wood Buffalo National Park are considered hybrid descendants. However, a study in 1995 detected that there have been notable differences among each herd within the park, showing different degrees of hybridization. The herd at the Sweetgrass Station near the Peace–Athabasca Delta , as well as the Slave River Lowlands herd, preserved phenotypes relatively loyal to the original wood bison before

2304-553: Was director of Hellabrunn Zoo at the time. During World War II , the zoo sustained extensive damage due to strategic bombing by the Allies of World War II , but the zoo was able to reopen in May 1945. In 1970, a badly needed plan for the renovation of the zoo was drawn up. In 2014 it was home to 18,943 animals representing 767 species. The Tierpark Hellabrunn is very active in breeding, reintroduction and conservation projects. Over 2.2 million people visited Hellabrunn in 2014. As

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