Twenty-three bison from Wind Cave National Park recently arrived at their new home in northern Mexico.

El Uno Ecological Reserve, a 46,000 acre reserve managed by The Nature Conservancy - Mexico, is the herd's new home. The reserve is in the northern Janos Valley in the State of Chihuahua.

The bison are part of a cooperative effort between the two countries to restore bison to their historical range in Mexico. The partnership occurred after the Comisión Nacional de Areas Naturales Protegidas -- the national agency responsible for the management of protected areas and threatened species in Mexico -- in collaboration with a Mexican consortium for bison restoration, requested bison from Wind Cave National Park.

"We are pleased to support Mexico's efforts to restore bison, which are considered an endangered species in Mexico," National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis said in a news release. "This project is an outstanding example of international wildlife management collaboration between the U.S. and Mexican governments, the U.S. Departments of the Interior and Agriculture, and private environmental advocates for the recovery of bison in Mexico."

The goal of bison restoration effort in Mexico is to establish one herd in each of the four states where bison are known to have historically occurred. Recent genetic studies conducted by Texas A&M University indicate that the Wind Cave herd is very high in genetic diversity and is free of domestic cattle gene introgression making them ideal for restoration efforts.

After a 14-day period of observation and acclimation, the bison will be released into the expanses of the El Uno Ecological Reserve, which is within the proposed Janos Biosphere Reserve. This 1.35 million acre Biosphere Reserve would be the first federally protected area created to protect grasslands in Mexico.