Purebred bison born at Bronx Zoo using CSU science

CSU science has enabled the Bronx Zoo to expand its bison herd, something difficult to accomplish as pure-bred bison numbers dwindle in North America.

CSU researchers earlier this summer successfully reproduced a pure-bred bison calf in New York, thousands of miles from Yellowstone National Park, where the implanted embryo originated.

CSU reproductive physiologist Dr. Jennifer Barfield and her team non-surgically implanted the embryo from a bison maintained at the CSU Animal Population Health Institute’s wildlife research facility in Fort Collins. 

“This science illustrates that we can engineer breeding of pure-bred bison to be disease-free despite the diseases that can afflict the bison population at Yellowstone,´ said Barfield.

“This is a great achievement to add to our list of accomplishments at the Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology Laboratory,´ said Thomas Hansen, director of the lab at CSU. “We can use these genetics so they can go into other herds. The project will serve as a model for mitigating diseases, particularly brucellosis, in genetically viable bison.”