Alaska Summer '12: Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

On one of the three days that my mom and I spent in South Central Alaska, we went to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. They take injured and orphaned animals in and rehabilitate them. We were able to see many of the young from this year some of which were orphans and others that were born on the premises. There is an entire herd of Wood Bison at the AWCC that are gearing up for release in 2013. Wood Bison were once native to Alaska, but had since been extinct in the area, they are the largest living land mammal (don't quote me, only 85% sure). They have been at AWCC for many years now and their herd is now considered large enough and sustainable enough for release. There are three possible release sights that were studied in the state, most of which are close to the Yukon. In addition to the animals in the photos we also saw bald eagles, coyotes, moose, black and grizzly bear and lynx. It was a great place to see the animals up close, and they are doing a great thing for the animals, but it still doesn't compare to spotting them in the wild.