The discovery on a northern Alberta farm of 100 dead bison and another 237 that were starving was horrific, but it showed the livestock industry’s ability to work together to save the remaining livestock, said the manager of an Alberta animal care association.
“It was an extreme situation and we were able to respond as soon as we found out,” said Susan Church, manager of the Alberta Foundation for Animal Care, which worked with the bison association, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and provincial government staff to save the animals.
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Like most animal welfare investigations, the mid-March discovery started with an anonymous phone call, this time to the AFAC’s hot line.
SPCA enforcement director Morris Airey, AFAC livestock welfare specialist Tim O’Byrne and AFAC bison representative Mike Edgar travelled to a farm outside Jean Côté, south of Peace River, to assess the situation.
Down a long deserted road, out of public view, they found the dead and dying animals.
“The majority were in an emaciated condition,” Airey said. “They were terrible, they were dying.”
The SPCA quarantined the animals, Airey began legal proceedings to seize them, Edgar found hay, O’Byrne lined up trucks and a neighbour’s tractor to feed the animals and $15,000 was used from the Say Hay and Drought Aid funds to buy and truck hay.
Within 10 days of bringing in the feed, Edgar said, the animals’ condition had greatly improved.
They have since been moved to the farm of an experienced bison producer.
Since he volunteered to be AFAC’s bison representative two years ago, Edgar’s work has been relatively easy. But last year’s drought changed everything, said Edgar, who estimated he helped relocate more than 1,000 bison to different ranches, helped producers find reasonably priced feed and offered options to others.
He said he doubts there was a single bison producer in the province who didn’t have to reduce herd size because of a feed shortage and low prices for animals.
Over the past two years, the number of SPCA investigations against diversified livestock producers like deer, elk and bison have dramatically increased, said Airey. He believes it is related to the drop in prices. It wasn’t unheard of to pay $8,000 for a good bison calf, but the price is now closer to $800.
There has only been one previous animal cruelty charge laid against a bison producer. Airey said he expected charges would be laid against the Jean Côté producer.
Gil Hegel, president of the Peace Country Bison Association, said he believes the discovery of the starving animals is related to the high cost of feed last year and not the low price of bison.
Last fall it wasn’t uncommon to pay $80 for poor-quality fescue bales.
“I find it hard to criticize the guy, but any time you have animals, you have to look after them,” Hegel said.
