Le bison aux TNO

The Mackenzie bison population was the first wood bison population re-established in an effort to conserve and recover wood bison.

This population occupies a wilderness area of approximately 20,000 km² ranging from the Mackenzie River north to Behchoko and eastward to Yellowknife. They have also expanded their range west across Highway 3 to areas around Mills Lake and Mink Lake.

From the initial release north of Fort Providence in 1963, the population grew rapidly until it reached an estimated 2,400 animals in 1989. Numbers declined and fluctuated around 1,850-2,000 then declined. In the summer of 2012, a large anthrax outbreak killed at least 450 bison. The population was estimated at about 850  animals in 2016.

The successful re-establishment of the Mackenzie bison population encouraged an attempt to establish another free ranging wood bison population in the NWT in an area of the historical range of wood bison.

In June 1980, 28 wood bison were moved from Elk Island National Park and released in the vicinity of Nahanni Butte. Another 12 bison were released near Nahanni Butte in March 1989. In 1998, 59 animals were released north of Fort Liard. Nahanni wood bison are found throughout the Liard River Valley in the Northwest Territories, the lower reaches of the Liard and Beaver Rivers in British Columbia, and into the Yukon.

Aerial population surveys conducted in 2004 and 2011 and the estimates of 403 and 431, respectively, were similar. A 2017 population survey resulted in an estimate of 960 bison in this population. Sex- and age-classification surveys have been conducted since 2002. These surveys are carried out by boat each July when bison can be found on sand bars along the Liard River. The Nahanni population is considered to be free of bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis.

An annual harvest quota of two males was introduced in 1998; one each for the communities of Fort Liard and Nahanni Butte. Today, the quota is seven.

The Slave River Lowlands wood bison population comprises groups in the Hook Lake area east of the Slave River and the Grande Detour area west of the river. It is part of the population that survived the near-extinction of wood bison in the late 1800s. While bison disappeared from the Slave River Lowlands during the late 1800 to early 1900s, they recolonized the area in the 1940s where they thrived for a time in the lush sedge meadows.

Bison numbers are estimated from aerial population surveys carried out in late winter. Population size declined in the 1970s and remained low through to 2000 but by 2009 increased to levels not seen since the early 1970s. Resident and non-resident harvesting was closed in the 1970s in response to the decline, however the population continued to support Aboriginal harvests. In 2014, a limited resident harvest of one tag per hunter was reinstated.

Bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis are endemic in the Slave River Lowlands, along with the rest of the greater Wood Buffalo National Park bison meta-population.

The Bison Control Area is managed as a bison-free zone, a buffer between the regions.

All reports of bison or signs of them in the BCA are investigated and any bison found in the area are dispatched and tested for disease.

The GNWT conducts aerial surveillance of the Bison Control Area during the winter months when bison are most likely to cross the Mackenzie River. Winter conditions, with snow on the ground and trees bare of leaves, improve the visibility of bison and signs of their presence, such as tracks and cratering. Additionally, signage and public awareness campaigns also run yearly to encourage people to report any bison seen in the BCA.

Anyone who sees a bison within the BCA is asked to report the sighting to 1-866-629-6438 or their local ECC office as soon as possible, because bison are capable of travelling long distances in a short period of time. The success of this program depends greatly on public cooperation and support.

Any resident of the Northwest Territories, with a general hunting licence, may hunt bison within the BCA at any time. A hunter who kills a bison in the area is required to report the occurrence as soon as possible to 1-866-629-6438 or their local ECC office.