WOOD RIVER, Neb. (AP) — A small herd of purebred bison has been relocated to a few square miles in central Nebraska, where vast herds once roamed over the tallgrass prairie.

The 39 cows and calves arrived Saturday at their new homes on Crane Trust land southwest of Grand Island. They were trucked in from Rimrock Ranch near Crawford in the Nebraska Panhandle. Two bulls are expected to join them this week.

The animals will make their home on more than 7 square miles of prairie, most of which has never been tilled. It’s the largest piece of tallgrass and mixed grass prairie left in Nebraska.

One of Crane Trust’s goals is to restore, maintain and protect natural habitat. But experts say keeping the land in its natural state is difficult without its dominant species.