In early June, three wayward bison appeared on the Chena River Flood Plain two weeks after escaping from a nearby farm. The bison belong to owner Deb Cotton and were wandering the plain and nearby bike path before being herded into an enclosed area of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers compound. Cotton hoped to truck them home with the help of someone with a trailer.
Nearly a month later, the bison are still hanging out on the property, the Fairbanks Daily News- Miner reports. Chena River Flood Plains control manager John Schaake told the News-Miner that the bison have done a nice job cleaning up willow and grass from the "pasture", or the construction-materials yard where they are contained.
One bison is due to give birth any day. The idea, Schaake says, is to let the cow have her calf before attempting to move the animals off the property. But no plan has been formulated yet how to get them home.
Last week, Schaake also a heard report of an emu walking across the flood plain. "Nowadays, I wouldn't be surprised to see ... anything out here," he told the News-Miner. "Maybe a Sasquatch or the Lipizzaner stallions will be next."
Before the North Pole bison were properly contained, some feared they could harm pedestrians, echoing concerns put forth by Alaskans about the reintroduction of bison in the state.