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Water showers to beat the heat (and celebrate #NationalBisonMonth) 🦬🌈
Did you hear? Your Toronto Zoo has been a proud leader in wood bison conservation since 1977 and is now celebrating 15 years of groundbreaking wood bison reproductive research 🦬
This month, and during National Bison Month, we're thrilled to celebrate the publication of a new peer-reviewed scientific paper, highlighting 15 years of collaborative research led by your Toronto Zoo and our conservation partners. The publication showcases how long-term reproductive science is helping advance the conservation of one of Canada's most iconic species through innovative fertility research, assisted reproductive technologies, and genetic preservation.
As one of North America's few wildlife reproductive physiology laboratories, your Zoo has partnered with the University of Saskatchewan and other conservation organizations to better understand wood bison reproduction. This research is helping refine techniques for collecting and preserving valuable genetic material, supporting healthy, genetically diverse populations for the future.
The work also contributes to Canada's Wildlife Cryobank: our living genetic library that safely preserves sperm, embryos, and other biological materials as an insurance policy for threatened wildlife and future conservation efforts.
Once roaming North America in vast herds numbering in the millions, wood bison experienced devastating declines due to overhunting, habitat loss, and disease. While conservation efforts have helped the species recover from the brink of extinction, wild populations remain fragmented and continue to face ongoing challenges.
The publication of this paper represents a great scientific milestone, as well as years of dedication, collaboration, and innovation by researchers committed to ensuring wood bison continue to thrive for generations to come.
As #GuardiansOfWild, we're proud to combine world-class reproductive science with hands-on conservation action to help protect one of Canada's most iconic animals.
📖 Read the newly published academic paper here:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2773093X26000267?via%3Dihub 📖