ANCHORAGE — A wood bison reintroduced in interior Alaska was found shot to death near the village of Quinhagak (KWIN-uh-hawk).
Alaska Wildlife Troopers are investigating the illegal kill.
Original Alaska wood bison were last seen in the 1920s. They are a larger species than plains bison.
The Department of Fish and Game reintroduced 130 wild wood bison in 2015 along the lower Innoko and Yukon rivers using animals from Canada.
The animal killed Friday was a young cow that had wandered and extensively explored the Yukon, Kuskokwim, and Innoko drainages.
The department says she had gained valuable knowledge on habitat that could have been shared with the herd.
The department says the death could be a setback for herd expansion into the lower Kuskokwim area.
