Seventy Plains bison are settling into their new prairie lifestyle after moving from Elk Island National Park near Edmonton to Grasslands National Park in southwestern Saskatchewan.
Cheryl Penny, Parks Canada’s field unit superintendent for southern Saskatchewan, said the young animals arrived by truck safe and sound at 11 p.m. Dec. 15 after a 36-hour storm delay.
A temperature of -20 C and strong winds pushing the windchill below
-30 didn’t faze the animals.
“We opened the gates and out they shot,” Penny said from Val Marie, Sask.
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The 30 bull calves, 30 heifers and 10 female yearlings gathered in small groups, looked at those watching and then disappeared over a hill, she said.
The bisons’ release into a 40-acre holding area is part of the park’s management plan. They will help re-establish grazing in the park so the land is managed more like it would have been 120 years ago when bison roamed freely.
In spring, once they have adapted to the prairie and the grass has greened up, the bison will be moved to a large piece of land in the park’s west block. The 45,000 acres were fenced with five strands of barbed wire on seven-foot posts.
The lowest and highest strands were placed to accommodate antelope and deer movement.
The intent is to let the bison live as much as possible without human intervention. Penny said the carrying capacity of the area designated for the bison is between 250 and 300 head.
However, it will be at least a couple of years before the first calves arrive, she said, and much longer before herd size becomes a concern.
Penny said earlier consultation with neighbours, ranchers and other stakeholders addressed issues such as herd health and possible escapes. A health plan includes blood and hair testing to ensure the herd maintains its disease-free status.
Grasslands National Park attracts 6,000 to 7,000 visitors a year. Penny said those numbers should increase now that the bison are on site.
The park contains 15 species at risk, including swift fox and burrowing owls. Penny said she hopes the bison interact with the park’s prairie dogs, another species that has had its challenges, by creating wallows on prairie dog towns.
Visitors who want to see the bison should first check at the visitors’ centre or the operations compound. Penny said road conditions within the park can be “dicey” at times and visitors could go out with staff members who check the bison daily.
So far, the bison are eating their hay, drinking water and appearing relaxed, Penny added.
Their new habitat is quite different from Elk Island.
“You have to go a long way to find a tree,” Penny said. “We think they have acclimatized. There is no pacing.”
She added that the bisons’ arrival in 2005 is a centennial legacy to the province.
