text: 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 didn'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 .
target: Alaska Department of Fish and 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 .