OREANDA-NEWS. Bison are the latest live animal shipment to be safely transported by Volga-Dnepr Airlines.

They were carried onboard an IL-76TD-90VD cargo flight to Yakutsk in Russia from Edmonton, Canada.

The 30 bison calves travelled in special containers that had been previously delivered to Canada by Volga-Dnepr Airlines. The animals were accompanied by veterinaries and representatives of the Canadian Elk Island National Park to ensure their health and comfort during the journey. The IL-76TD-90VD flight was organised by the Russian broker Aerologic Line, who chartered the Volga-Dnepr aircraft on behalf of the Ministry of Nature of the Republic of Yakutia.

The animals will take part in a breeding programme in Yakutia. The bison is currently a near threatened species according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list. Earlier in 2006 and 2011, 60 calves were donated by the Canadian Government to the Ust-Buotama and Tympynai reservations in the Republic of Yakutia to help reestablish the Eurasian population of bisons. The animals settled well in their new surroundings and this resulted in a successful repopulation programme.

A further delivery of bison to Yakutia is scheduled for 2015.