Bison Released on Natural Area North of Fort Collins [PICTURES/VIDEO]

Ten bison were released on the Soapstone Prairie Natural Area on Sunday afternoon. Nine females and one 5-month-old bull calf from the Laramie Foothills Bison Conservation Herd have been held in a corral at Soapstone since October 20, so the animals could get used to their surroundings. Before that, they lived on the CSU Foothills Campus.

The project is collaborative effort between Larimer County, the City of Fort Collins, Colorado State University, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The team acquired several bison from the Yellowstone National Park, that were found to be brucellosis-free. These animals helped start the Laramie Foothills Bison Conservation Herd. The goal was to return bison to the prairie grasslands of Northern Colorado. Mission accomplished.

This YouTube video shows the release of the bison onto the prairie:

I took a bunch of pictures of the herd in the corral and being released onto the prairie.

Watch a bison get up close and personal in this YouTube Video: