A population of wild wood bison were successfully reintroduced to the United States to freely roam the plains of Alaska for the first time in over a century . The moment was captured on video and shows Alaska Department of Fish and Game Biologist Tom Seaton leading 100 wood bison to freedom on a snowmobile . The land mammals were freed from a temporary pen , where they had been kept for just over a week during the transition , and followed Mr Seaton to their new home . They journeyed for a distance of about a mile and crossed the Innoko River before reaching the grass meadows of Lower Innoko , which is surrounded by the Yukon River . Wood bison are North America ’ s largest land mammal , but the native Alaskan species disappeared from the state more than 100 years ago . In the video the animals can be seen chasing after the snowmobile in a herd from within side a fenced track . Wood bison were imported from Canada to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center in 2008 but restoration of the threatened species was delayed . The population of wild wood bison were successfully reintroduced to the United States for first time in over a century . Alaska Department of Fish and Game Biologist Tom Seaton lead 100 wood bison to freedom on a snowmobile . Landowners did n't want their property listed as critical habitat with additional federal oversight . The state and federal governments agreed to consider the Alaska wood bison as 'experimental ' without the usual Endangered Species Act requirements . With the help of corporate and non-profit sponsors , the department moved 50 cows and 50 juveniles aged two or less to the village . But the task was not without its risks as the large mammals were vulnerable to broken limbs , or if they fell , trampling . Two wood bison bulls photographed grazing at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center in Portage , Alaska . Wood bison cows resting and grazing at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center in Portage , Alaska . Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologist Cathie Harms , said : ‘ When you 're transporting a very large , not completely domesticated animal , you always have to worry about injuries. ’ To minimize jostling in the cargo plane the juveniles were transported in small groups within special bison boxes . Cows had individual pens , which provided them with enough room to stand for the one-hour drive from the conservation centre to Anchorage and a one-hour flight to the village . Once arrived , the bison moved on their own from the boxes to the snow-covered fields in a fenced area outside Shageluk . The land mammals chased after the snowmobile , which dropped alfalfa cubes , in a herd from within side a fenced track . The wood bison journeyed for a distance of about a mile and crossed the Innoko River before reaching the grass meadows of Lower Innoko . Ms Harms said : ‘ Some of them trotted out , some of them galloped out . Some of them made it all the way to the opposite end of the pen , as far away from people as they could get . ‘ Some of them stopped 15 feet from the box and started eating hay. ’ Over the next seven to 14 days the bison were moved on a daily basis from one pen to another to keep them from settling into one place . Before the snowmobile coaxed them with alfalfa cubes and led them to their new permanent location , which should start producing an abundance of sedge – one of the bison ’ s natural foods – once the snow melts . Like we never left ! The bison arrive at their new home , which will have sedge for them to feed on once the snow melts .
Cathie Harms Game biologist delivered the animals . The land mammals followed his snowmobile dropping alfalfa cubes . They travelled a mile and crossed the Innoko River to Lower Innoko . New location should start producing sedge for the bison to feed on .