During the ice age our republic was a Pleistocene steppe where a large number of other representatives of the megafauna lived in addition to mammoths. But over time, due to the melting of glaciers, general climate change, and possibly the activities of our ancestors, everything began to change. Mammoths, woolly rhinos, saber-toothed tigers, huge deer and many, many others disappeared from the face of the earth. But such a fate did not suffer all the representatives of that ancient fauna. Some still somehow managed to adapt to the new climate. Not here, but on another continent.
In ancient times Alaska and Chukotka were connected by a land bridge, which scientists call Berengiya. That is how tens of thousands of years ago America was inhabited by the first people and animals who at that time lived in Siberia. Here along this "bridge" herds of bison crossed to another land and settled in North America. When representatives of their species disappeared in Siberia, the American bison felt great. Herds of thousands of individuals plowed the prairies. Many considered them the owners of those places. But with the development of technology and the annexation of Western territories to the United States the threat of extermination loomed over the bison. Americans destroyed animals by the thousands, not even for meat and skin, but simply because they were consumed by Indians, their archenemies. Thus, over several decades, the bison practically disappeared from the prairies. In more or less large numbers a subspecies of the forest bison, which now lives in Canada, has survived to this day.
A way home
In the 80s of the last century, Yakut ecologist Sergei Zimin began a unique experiment to restore the ecosystem of the mammoth steppe. The Yakut horse became the first inhabitant of the Pleistocene park, then they brought moose, reindeer, musk ox. But one of the main representatives of the fauna that could turn the tundra into the steppe was to become a bison. After long negotiations conducted by scientists and authorities of our republic with Canadians, the first consignment of forest bison from Elk Island Nature Reserve arrived on April 8, 2006. The party consisted of 30 bison (15 females and 15 males).
The initial idea for producing animals in Zimin's Pleistocene park was postponed due to the great value of bison. As a result, it was decided to settle the herd in Ust-Buotama park, next to the Lena pillars, which is located in a more moderate zone than the lower reaches of the Kolyma.
The herd in Ust-Buotama park should become the basis for the restoration of the Asian bison population - from here, as the number of livestock increases, they will be resettled throughout Siberia. Animals are kept in a fenced area of 27.5 hectares. One of the bison females died due to a hip fracture during the flight, three more males died in accidents later. However, the remaining animals have successfully adapted to our harsh climate. The living conditions in the park were so suitable for the bison that the first offspring were received a year earlier than expected. In the spring of 2009, the first 6 Yakut bisons were born. The calves were resettled on the territory of a Sinee natural park, where on May 23 of the same year, the opening of a new Tympinay forest bison nursery took place.
Thanks to further work with Canadians, in 2011 a second shipment was delivered consisting of 30 animals. Another batch of 10 males and 20 females was introduced on March 22, 2013. Currently, the total number of bison living in Yakutia is approaching the mark of 200. In 2017, the first animals were released into the wild.
Now the reserve has become one of the tourist centers of the republic. Not only the Yakutians but also tourists from around the world come to look at peers of mammoths. Animals that have taken root in the nursery feel great, they have become stronger and more enduring than their Canadian counterparts. Tourists, for their own safety, need to move around the nursery only on special routes together with employees.
When visiting a bisonarium, you need to follow a few simple rules. First, remember that forest bisons are very shy and capable of unpredictable reactions. Therefore, you can’t bring dogs to the kennel and perform any actions that may alarm animals. Do not feed, tease or scare them. You cannot go beyond the barriers and fences. It is important to keep silence. You can take buffalo pictures only with your hands, without a tripod, without flashes and only with the permission of the nursery staff. You cannot throw objects into aviaries in order to attract the attention of a bison.
The nursery is located on the territory of the Lena Pillars National Natural Park and it is very difficult to get to the bisonarium on your own. Therefore, it is recommended to use the services of travel companies.