Bison return to Banff national park in Canada

6 February 2017

A herd of plains bison have been successfully reintroduced to Canada's oldest national park, more than 100 years after they were nearly hunted out of existence.

The 16 bison were moved to the Banff National Park in Alberta last week. 

On Monday officials said the transfer had gone smoothly and the animals were adapting well to their new home.

The move will restore their role in the park's ecosystem, officials say, and has been welcomed by indigenous groups.

The bison will be kept under observation in an enclosed pasture of the park in the foothills of the Rockies until the summer of 2018, Parks Canada officials say.

Image copyright Parks Canada via Reuters Image caption The animals were prized by aboriginal Canadians for the food and clothing they supply Image copyright Parks Canada via Reuters Image caption If the phased release goes according to plan, the bison will be allowed further into the park next year Image copyright Parks Canada via Reuters Image caption The bison have been arriving at Banff since the end of January 

The animals were once the dominant grazers in the park, in addition to being spiritually significant to Canada's aboriginal groups, supplying them with food, clothing and shelter.

The herd will eventually be released into a far wider area of the park where they will be at liberty to interact with other native animals and search for food, The Calgary Herald reported.

It said the hope is that natural barriers and wildlife fencing will stop the bison from wandering astray.

Read on 

How does a lynx cross a fence? Remarkable photos

Rare images of lynx family in Banff National Park

February 2013. Alex Taylor, a human-wildlife conflict specialist who works for Parks Canada, was sent to intervene to help keep a lynx and her kitten off the highway near Canada's Lake Louise in Banff National Park. While on the scene, Alex snapped an incredibly rare sequence of images of the animals as they crossed highway fencing.

"As the pictures clearly portray, lynx are incredibly agile and flexible animals - this sequence is nothing short of stunning," said Omar McDadi, a Parks Canada Communications Officer. "We believe this is the first time lynx have been captured on film crossing highway fencing in this fashion."

Lynx sightings in Banff National Park are rare, though last March a lynx was snapped using one of the park's wildlife overpasses.

Lynx intrusions on fenced parts of the highway are also rare. Since their installation in 1996, highway fencing and wildlife overpasses and underpasses along the Trans-Canada Highway in Banff National Park have helped reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions by over 80% for large mammals (96% for elk and deer). Wildlife fencing has also helped make the Trans-Canada Highway safer for drivers by preventing collisions and reducing property damage.

"In addition to the remarkable photos, this is a good news story that highlights how the public can assist with wildlife conservation in our national parks," added McDadi. "A number of calls were made by the public to our Parks Canada dispatch line, prompting an immediate response from our conservation officer who was able to secure the area of the highway where the lynx were present and help to keep them off the road until they eventually disappeared into the forest."

While the fence has reduced collisions with large mammals by 80% (96% for elk and deer) it isn't perfect.

Please report wildlife sightings in Banff, Kootenay and Yoho national parks by calling Parks Canada's dispatch line at 1-888-WARDENS.

Pictures