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Wild Bison in Banff for the first time in 140 years - Printable Version

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Wild Bison in Banff for the first time in 140 years - Catherine - 08-03-2018

Bison are native to the prairies and to the Rocky Mountains. There have been herds of bison for 10,000 years. Sadly 140 years ago we lost the last bison in the Banff area.

A small herd was brought from Elk Island National Park in 2017. They were kept in a large pen while the acclimatized. That spring calves were born. This spring more calves were born. The herd has now been released into the wild. 

https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/virtually-unprecedented-banff-bison-roaming-free-for-first-time-in-140-years


Since Bison are a keystone species for the area, their return could do a lot towards stabilizing the ecosystem. It is a pilot project and it will be evaluated after five years. Bison belong in Banff. I feel sure they will re-establish themselves and in many ways rebuild the natural order of nature in the area. 

At the rate they are producing calves the herd could be a fair size before the five years is up. This is very important because we are trying to fix ecosystems that we damaged