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After a nearly century-and-a-half long absence, Banff National Park is now home to more than 100 plains bison.
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That’s thanks to a five-year reintroduction pilot by Parks Canada, which aimed to re-establish the once-thriving population in the southern Alberta park after over-hunting eradicated it from the area in the late 1800s — and nearly caused its extinction across the continent. The federal agency is calling the pilot a success, touting significant public support for the bison’s return to the area.
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The initiative began in 2017 when Parks Canada moved 16 bison to the backcountry in Banff National Park from Elk Island National Park near Edmonton as part of a $6.5-million pilot project. Over the following five years, the long-disappeared population of North America’s largest land mammal grew to more than 80 within a 1,200 square-kilometre reintroduction zone as of 2022. Eighteen more calves were born this spring, bringing the population in the area to over 100, Parks Canada officials told reporters Wednesday.
“The historic return of bison to Banff National Park returns a key native species to the landscape, fosters cultural reconnection, inspires discovery and provides stewardship and learning opportunities,” said Salman Rasheed, the Banff field unit superintendent for Parks Canada. “Support for bison reintroduction to Banff National Park continues to be high. Based on the positive feedback and the findings from the pilot project, I’m pleased to say that Parks Canada will continue to work towards keeping bison on the landscape within Banff National Park.”
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Parks Canada finalized a report on the program this week, following engagement with the public and Indigenous groups late last year.
The report states the herd is growing at a rate of 33 per cent yearly, but that figure is expected to drop as the animals age and the sex ratio balances. Still, Parks Canada data shows there could be more than 200 bison in the area before the decade is up.
“This is a significant accomplishment given plains bison occur in only five other isolated wild subpopulations, currently occupy less than 0.5 per cent of their original range in North America, and are rarely subject to natural selection,” reads the report. “Banff National Park, with its full suite of native large carnivores, represents a unique and rare opportunity where this can still happen.”
Researchers say the robust population growth means the herd could reach a population in the next 10 years that would make extinction due to disease, extreme weather events or genetic drift unlikely.
Parks Canada’s engagement on the topic shows there’s strong support for bison on the landscape. Themes that emerged during consultation largely centred around promoting the animal’s significance to Indigenous groups, population management, collaborating with other jurisdictions to increase the bison’s range, biodiversity impacts and visitor education.
