Bison may be reintroduced to Banff National Park

[Tuc]

Updated: Mon Nov. 09 2009 17:58:53

ctvcalgary.ca

Parks Canada is considering reintroducing bison to Banff National Park.

"We've had a number of groups of individuals that have mentioned they'd like to see bison back in the park so we are looking at the feasibility of bringing bison back," says Michelle Macullo from Parks Canada.

For thousands of years, plains bison grazed along the eastern slopes of Rocky Mountains.

The last ones died just over 100 years ago.

For several decades, a small herd of domestic bison did call Banff National Park home but they were moved out in the 1990's.

The idea of reintroducing the animal is getting lots of support from the public.

"I think it's a great idea. I just got back from Yellowstone National Park a couple of weeks ago and there's bison everywhere there. It's a good spectacle and they are such an interesting animal," says Mac McDonald.

There are concerns about the idea though.

Parks Canada says it wants to allow the animals to roam freely so they can live as they were meant to.

Some conservation groups are worried because bison are big animals that cover a lot of territory. "There is some concern about bison wandering off outside the boundary onto provincial land but I think that can be mitigated through education," says Anne-Marie Sysoak from the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society.

Parks Canada is asking for public input on the idea of reintroducing bison.


To see the proposed park management plan you can click on the link for Parks Canada (http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ab/banff/plan/index_e.asp).

You can also make a submission by email to mike.murtha@pc.gc.ca

[CaberTosser]

That would certainly be quite a thing to see. Not knowing Bison at all, do they avoid people, or would they make as*es of themselves in the Banff townsite in the same manner that some of the elk do? If they would just be out in the wild as nature intended it would return some of the lost majesty to the park.

[Fish Feathers Game]

Interesting, considering the fact Waterton Park is studying the idea of removing Buffalo from there!

[Rockymtnx]

That would be interesting to see them roaming around there. Specially if you had them right in downtown Banff. There would be tourists running everywhere. :D

Interesting, considering the fact Waterton Park is studying the idea of removing Buffalo from there!

FFG what is the idea behind removing them?

[Forest Techer]

Nice someone is giving it thought and they left out the fact they were extirpated.

I believe they could find better use for their money. We already have some nice bison on public land. And in parks.

The article also doesn't address what niche or benefit they would bring the park other than aesthetics.
I encourage more people to check out elk island it is one of the most underrated parks in the country. I've heard from wardens it has a biomass of game that rivals the great plains in Africa. Hiking is a hoot and canoeing is peaceful. You can do it all there.

[uglyelk]

They tried this experiment 40/50 years ago in Jasper. The bison were all shot out by Hinton a few weeks later. Bison migrate out of the mountains in the fall and historically only showed in the mountains in the summer in very small numbers. They don't winter in the mountains why would you re introduce them in a mountain park? This was the absolute fringe of their range.

It would be kind of nice to hunt buffalo in the foothills! So if they do dump some in the park I hope to bag one out in the Ghost or Ya Ha when they go for a walk about!

Can't wait to see a warden try and chase a buffalo out of town with a hockey stick with a yellow bag on the end of it! Hope no one I know gets killed trying.

First buffalo in my yard is getting shot! And if Parks does not show up quick to clean up the gut pile, I just might shoot the bears that show up too!

I’ll break no law…unless my family is in danger. But I had enough of this crap when the elk hid in town and shcit stomped our kids. Parks did nothing. Now they are going to introduce bison and not fence them out of town. Once again the onus of safety rests with me. I'll not allow my family to be in harms way so some tourist can have a photo op in my back yard.

The Canada National Parks Act dedicates national parks to “the people of Canada, for their benefit, education and enjoyment” and requires that they be “maintained and made use of so as to leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”

To me this means Parks Canada is to maintain what they took over, not to create city folks evolving vision of a perfect wilderness. They are to maintain what was here in 1885 when the area became a park. The last buffalo was reported shot by Hector in 1858. So buffalo were gone when this area became a park. The way I see it they do not have the legal mandate to reintroduce bison to the area.

Actually the buffalo Hector shot was outside of the original park. In 1885, the park was 26 sq kilometers. Guiding and outfitting was a way of life. In 1887 the park expanded to 260 sq kilometers.

[Fish Feathers Game]

I agree that Buff`s should not be `ìntroduced`to Banff. Rocky, not sure why they want to remove them from Waterton but I think it has to do with the Paddock they are contained in.

[WayneChristie]

Im sure the family of the gentleman who was killed by a buffalo a little while back will be thrilled to hear many more people will have a chance to experience the same loss. Free roaming buffalo and tourists, now theres a recipe for disaster. The ones in Yellowstone are used to people, newly introduced ones in Banff wont be, and someones going to get hurt or worse. Just another stupid government idea.

[TreeGuy]

Thanks for the 'head's up', Tuc.

To me this supposed reintroduction of a plains animal into the absolute fringe of what used to be their natural range, makes about as much sense as attempting to reintroduce T-Rex's back into Drumheller.

Tree

[TheClash]

hmm would t-rex be a general tag or on a draw??

[theduke]

hmm would t-rex be a general tag or on a draw??

just imagine the mount a trex would make.but like some said yellowstone bison are use to seeing people and more then likely introduce one would not be. even some of those elf do not like the people in the park ive seen elk ram peoples cars, nowjust imagine a animal twice the size raming that little honda civic my bet would be on the buffalo

[AB2506]

There is a h--l of a lot of difference between Yellowstone and Banff. I would say the habitat is completely different and there is no way free ranging bison could exist or stay in the park. If you watch the bison film shown in Yellowstone, you will not want free ranging bison anywhere close to a major highway, or the townsites.

In Yellowstone, the bison are completely wild and only tolerate people. The wardens try to ride herd on them and not let idiots (for their own protection) get too close. If the bison want to walk for miles down the center line of the narrow 2 lane road, the cars have to stop and wait for it to leave when it is ready. The bison really rule the roost in Yellowstone. Never seen so many unfenced bison in my life. It was really neat.

IMO free ranging bison will not work in Banff. Not enough of the right habitat, townsite, 4 lane road, train tracks etc. Release them in Banff, and we'll have them in Cochrane in 2 years.

P.S. Is this another effort by the greenies to turn Banff into a ecological reserve where people (unless you are the "right" people (granola crunching hiker/biker/climber/kayaker/ccskier)) are not allowed to protect the wildlife? You know, we've introduced the bison, and they don't get along well with people, so to protect the bison, we'll have to evict the people?

I say NO to bison in Banff (as it exists now, an extensive, good hot fire, in the Bow Valley, might change the habitat in a big hurry).

[uglyelk]

http://www.georgewright.org/24kay.pdf

It is interesting that the scientific community scoffs at hunter observations of grizzly sightings as antidotal. Yet the science that drives the bison reintroduction is both antidotal and ridiculous. For even the mention of sign in an explorer's journal is counted as an animal. Glad parks and the eco folks have decided to make decisions based on good science.

What a joke.

[fish-man]

Based on what I've seen at Elk Island park, I imagine the bison would love to feed on the nice green lawns of Banff townsite.

[Nationwide]

hmm would t-rex be a general tag or on a draw??

:lol::lol:good one ,thanks for shareing the info tuc.

[dgl1948]

Going to give the meaning of"hazard" on the golf course a whole look.

[Bassett]

They never be taking the zama buffs!!!! just joking, that would be great, love the idea.