Parks Canada works in partnership with many Indigenous communities to help bison grow and thrive. Bringing the bison back can rekindle the longstanding relationship between Indigenous peoples and bison. Learn how Parks Canada’s bison transfers have been key to this process.
Bison decline
Bison are North America’s largest land mammal. Before European colonization, tens of millions of bison roamed many parts of the continent. By the late 1800s, their population was reduced to near extinction from overhunting and industrial demand. Only around 1000 bison remained.
"The Herd," drawn from memory, by Martin S. Garretson. Image courtesy of the University of Alberta Archives.
Bison play an important role in shaping landscapes as ‘ecosystem engineers’. Bison behaviours create conditions and habitats that can benefit many other plants and animals.
Bison are often attracted to graze within or at the edge of prairie dog colonies, where they can find high quality forage. Photo: Stefano Liccioli/Parks Canada
Bison still graze even in the wintertime. Photo: Stefano Liccioli/Parks Canada
Bison waste incubates insect eggs and larvae. Many endangered prairie bird species eat insects. They benefit from the bison’s influence on insect presence. Endangered prairie birds also benefit from bison’s grazing patterns. Bison are helping Parks Canada manage the habitat of at-risk prairie bird species and their recovery.
A herd of Plains Bison and flock of prairie birds at Grasslands National Park. Photo: Stefano Liccioli/Parks Canada
The McCown’s Longspur enjoys shorter grasses that have been grazed by bison.
The Sprague’s Pipit enjoys longer grasses that have not been heavily grazed by bison.
Bison create “wallows” when they roll in the dirt to take dust baths. Wallows can fill with water when it rains, and provide important habitat for many prairie wildlife. Bison also spread seeds around as they travel. Birds use their fallen fur for nesting.
Bison take dust baths which create wallows that benefit other wildlife. Photo: Stefano Liccioli/Parks Canada
Parks Canada conserves the only two subspecies of bison in North America: Plains Bison and Wood Bison.
Plains Bison have a:
large, bushy hairstyle on their head
rounder back hump that sits directly over their front legs
historic range as far south as Mexico, as far east as Florida, but were most common on the Great Plains
A Plains Bison walks through the prairie ecosystem at Grasslands National Park. Photo: Ryan Bray/Parks Canada
Wood Bison have:
bigger and taller bodies
smaller, pointier beards, darker fur, and hair that droops over their forehead
a tall and triangular hump that sits far ahead of their shoulders
adapted to colder climates, including northern Alberta, Alaska, the Northwest Territories, and Yukon
A Wood Bison at Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site. Photo: Scott Munn/Parks Canada
Bison are important for the health of natural ecosystems in which they normally occur. They also support many Indigenous cultural connections to the land and their ways of knowing.
Cultural connections with bison
Bison have always been important in the lives of many Indigenous peoples in what are now the Prairie Provinces, British Columbia, Northwest Territories, and other parts of Turtle Island. Many Indigenous communities have long held deeply cultural and spiritual connections with bison. They have relied on bison for:
food
shelter
clothing
tools
fuel
weapons
trade
social and ceremonial purposes
A Métis man known as Wigwam, photographed in 1858 at the Red River Settlement in Manitoba. He sits on bison hides. From the collection of Humphrey Lloyd Hime, MIKAN no. 3243328, Library and Archives Canada.
Ervin Carlson, manager of the Blackfeet Nation bison program and president of the Intertribal Buffalo Council, speaking with other members of the Blackfoot Confederacy and Keith Aune of the Wildlife Conservation Society at Elk Island National Park. On this day in March of 2016, 87 calves were sent to Browning, Montana. Indigenous peoples have been involved in bison conservation continuously, from before Walking Coyote, to the Iinii Initiative, to the Buffalo Treaty – and beyond. Photo: Scott Mair/Parks Canada
Many Indigenous cultures continue to hold close relationships with their relatives—the bison. This includes for spirituality, food sovereignty, and social-economic development.
Plains Bison in Saskatchewan. Photo: Stefano Liccioli/Parks Canada
Parks Canada and bison
For over one hundred years, Canadian national parks have worked to maintain and restore bison herds for conservation. Parks Canada also works to uphold bison health and genetic diversity by maintaining disease-free conservation herds.
A Wood Bison at Elk Island National Park is undergoing a health check. Photo: Scott Mair.
A Plains Bison at Grasslands National Park is getting hair sampled for genetic testing. Photo: Scott Mair
Plains Bison at Grasslands National Park.
Establishing bison herds would not have been possible without the stewardship of bison by Indigenous peoples. In the late 1800s, two Indigenous ranchers managed the Pablo-Allard herd. These animals were among the last wild Plains Bison. The Government of Canada bought 700 of their bison in the early 1900s. The bison were sent to Buffalo National Park and Elk Island National Park. Lessons were learned from the operation of Buffalo National Park. The bison at Elk Island have since become the main source of bison stock for reintroduction projects.
Michel Pablo, the Buffalo King. #ST001.045. Montana Historical Society Research Center Photograph Archives, Helena, MT.
Bringing in bison to load. #ST001.019. Montana Historical Society Research Center Photograph Archives, Helena, MT.
Today, Parks Canada manages bison across the country. These sites include:
A Wood Bison at Wood Buffalo National Park. Photo: Charla Jones/Parks Canada
Bison transfers at Parks Canada
Parks Canada is helping to restore bison back onto the land through the transfer of bison. Bison transfers help to increase the number of conservation herds in Canada and beyond.
Staff and VIPs watch as the bison are released from their shipping containers in the Windy Pasture of the Panther Valley in Banff National Park. Photo: Dan Rafla/Parks Canada
The Agency has transferred over 3400 Plains and Wood Bison to conservation sites and other interested groups. Over 600 of these bison were transferred to Indigenous communities to support them in establishing their own conservation or cultural herds.
“Sometimes groups know what they want, other times they’re asking for expertise. There’s a lot of collaboration with different groups—a lot of back and forth discussions on what they’re requesting, and what we have available.”
Photo: Stefano Liccioli/Parks Canada
Watch the types of bison that Parks Canada has transferred, and who has received them:
Transcript
Parks Canada Beaver Logo
A dark green map of Canada showing Parks Canada National Parks and Marine Conservation Areas appears, then quickly zooms in to focus on British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the southern portions of Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut.
A timeline appears across the bottom, beginning at the year 1890 and ending at 2020+.
A legend in the top right corner identifies types of bison transfers. A solid green line represents Plains Bison, a dotted green line represents wood bison and an orange line in both solid and dotted form represent bison transfers to Indigenous communities (both Wood and Plains Bison).
Lines begin sprouting from Parks Canada places to other locations, representing bison transfers; some transfers land in other national parks, some land with conservation groups and some land with Indigenous communities.
The corresponding recipient of the bison transfers is shown scrolling along the top.
A “bison counter” at the bottom begins tallying the total number of bison transferred by Parks Canada to external groups.
The timeline moves slowly from left to right (the first transfer is sent from Banff National Park to former Buffalo National Park), revealing that the number of transfers is increasing each year over time.
Near the end of the animation, the “bison counter” reveals that the total number of bison transferred by Parks Canada to external groups is over 3000 between years 1909 and 2022 and will continue to increase.
Government of Canada logo
Parks Canada has made significant contributions to bison conservation and restoration in North America. Today, many bison herds exist across the landscape thanks to these transfers.
A family group of bison with four calves at Grasslands National Park. Photo: Stefano Liccioli/Parks Canada.
The historic return of bison
Bison had been absent from Grasslands National Park in Saskatchewan for over 120 years. Parks Canada reintroduced Plains Bison back onto the landscape as a large grazing herbivore in 2005.
“Allowing bison to graze in the park complements other stewardship activities in the surrounding ranch lands. Grazing also provides habitats for a variety of wildlife.”
Photo: Stefano Liccioli/Parks Canada
A herd of Plains Bison with calves grazing in the summer at Grasslands National Park.
Bison provide visitors with a greater diversity of native plants and animals to see when visiting the park’s West Block. Watch the story of the bison return to Grasslands National Park.
Return of bison to Grasslands National Park
Text transcript
0:00 Bison went nearly extinct at the end of the 19th century.
0:06 Thankfully, they returned to Grasslands National Park in 2005.
0:12 The initial herd arrived from Elk Island National Park and consisted of 71 bison.
0:17 The herd’s reproduction rate is excellent.
0:21 The herd size is now kept between 300 and 500 bison.
0:27 Parks Canada researchers collect different samples from the bison.
0:33 These samples help scientists monitor the health of these animals.
0:38 This data is also helps maintain a herd structure similar to what would have been found in the wild.
0:46 Bison are recognized as ecological engineers.
0:56 Grazing is essential to the health of the mixed-grass prairie ecosystem.
1:01 Many species at risk benefit from the presence of the bison.
1:11 Thumbs up for the bison!
1:19 Like. Comment. Share.
Plains Bison were also reintroduced to Banff National Park in 2017 from stock in Elk Island. Watch the historic return of bison to Canada’s first national park.
Wild Bison Return to Banff National Park
Text transcript
0:10 My name is Karsten Heuer and I am the bison reintroduction project manager for Banff National Park.
0:18 My job is to orchestrate all the moving parts of trying to get bison from Elk Island National Park into Banff National Park.
0:28 Parks Canada's primary mandate is to ensure what we call ecological integrity, which means the health of the ecosystem.
0:35 And because something has been missing, North America's largest land mammal, part of our job is to try to bring it back.
0:42 And that’s what this is all about. It's about that effort.
0:47 From about noon today until about hopefully about noon tomorrow, so a 24 hour period
0:52 we are actually going to be doing an operation that has a lot different moving parts.
0:57 The first part is bringing the animals through the Elk Island corral system and chute system,
1:03 give them a tranquilizer, and then do some last minute changes to ear tagging.
1:08 And then we will start to load them in groups of three and four through the chute system
1:12 up the loading ramp, into the containers that we've modified.
1:16 They're basically seacans or shipping containers with ventilation in them and a few additions to the doors.
1:22 And then, we'll truck them for 400 km. That will then take us to the end of the gravel road, Ya Ha Tinda Ranch.
1:30 And then we will actually bring in a helicopter in tomorrow, a heavy lift helicopter
1:33 that's coming from the coast and that will pluck each individual crate off the flat-bed trucks.
1:39 One by one, over the ridge, about 20 km into the heart of the reintroduction zone
1:44 where we have a pasture fenced,
1:47 where we are going to hold them for the next 16 months, feed them, support them,
1:52 allow them to calve safely twice, and then do the release after they have anchored to that landscape.
1:58 and have adopted it as their new home.
2:13 There's been so much research, there's been so much consultation, like literally years.
2:18 We've got everything in place that we could have possibly thought of.
2:22 And really, from here on in, it's going to be up to the animals.
2:34 You know, we are talking about giving a species a second chance.
2:38 The seed that we are planting today, you can't almost imagine what it might lead to in 50 or 100 years.
Bringing bison back onto the land creates new opportunities for everyone to learn about the importance of these animals.
Visitors watch Plains Bison from a safe distance in the West Block of Grasslands National Park. Photo: Kevin Hogarth/Parks Canada
Managing bison at Parks Canada
There are no natural predators to keep the bison herds within the carrying capacity of some national parks. Staff from Elk Island and Grasslands National Parks must remove bison to prevent overpopulation. This would lead to overgrazing, which negatively impacts bison and other wildlife in the parks. The need to remove animals creates opportunities to transfer bison to other groups across North America.
Plains Bison being transferred via helicopter to Banff National Park from Elk Island National Park.
Photos: Dan Rafla/Parks Canada
The aim of managing and transferring bison at Parks Canada is to help the overall numbers of Plains and Wood Bison in North America. Parks Canada transfers bison to groups that want to start or supplement their own conservation herd.
The Bison Program Coordinator from Grasslands National Park, a Parks Canada wildlife vet, and a group prepare for their bison transfer.
The Bison Program Coordinator and a member of The University of Saskatchewan observe bison at Grasslands National Park.
“We’re helping because we’re putting more numbers of bison out there. The more animals with Plains genetics, the more animals out there helping the overall population of Plains Bison”
Photo: Stefano Liccioli/Parks Canada
Park staff manage bison following international guidelines for bison conservation herds. Actions taking place in key locations include:
regularly monitor bison population size, sex, age structure to inform herd management
perform herd health checks throughout the year, including disease testing to help maintain the herd health, where applicable
collaborate with researchers on genetic testing to ensure their bison have a healthy and diverse gene pool at Grasslands National Park
A Plains Bison undergoes a health check by a Parks Canada vets at Elk Island National Park. Photo: Cameron Johnson/Parks Canada
Grasslands National Park staff performing bison health checks.
Staff at Grasslands and Elk Island National Parks must gather bison for transfers when the populations are becoming too large. During this time, they also perform bison health checks. Staff reward bison with desirable food items near the handling facilities. The bison learn when and where these food items become available. This means bison arrive at the handling facilities when their presence is desired. In this way, difficult round-ups are avoided.
Plains Bison follow a trail of alfalfa cubes toward the handling facility and holding field at Grasslands National Park.
A Plains Bison at the handling facility at Grasslands National Park is ready for a health check-up.
Bison and a path towards reconciliation
Parks Canada is learning and understanding more about its role in the path to reconciliation through the bison program. We have supported several Indigenous communities in re-establishing bison onto lands they manage.
A Wood Bison calf is resting near its mother. Photo: Johane Janelle/Parks Canada
These transfers help Indigenous peoples strengthen their cultural and historic connections with bison. They also support Indigenous-led social and economic opportunities around bison. Wanuskewin Heritage Park was one recipient of bison transfers. Darlene Brander, Chief Executive Officer with Wanuskewin Heritage Park says, “when the bison come back, the culture comes back.” Watch the video below to learn more about the bison transfer to Wanuskewin Heritage Park.
The Return of the Bison to Wanuskewin Heritage Park
Text transcript
0:06 There’s no place on earth like Wanuskewin Heritage Park.
0:14 What we’re hoping that the visitors will take away is the power of partnership.
0:19 We’ve had this wonderful partnership with Parks Canada
0:22 where we’re able to bring the bison back which strengthens our culture.
0:25 When visitors come here they get to see Indigenous culture in action,
0:29 they get to participate in curriculum programs around the bison,
0:34 and have an authentic experience that makes them better human beings.
0:42 The bison were there for our sustenance.
0:44 They, historically, provided everything we needed.
0:50 The bison are the iconic animals of North America.
0:54 They had a near demise, extinction,
0:57 very close to extinction in the early 1870s,
1:01 and by 1885 their population had gone from 26 or 30 million
1:07 down to less than a thousand.
1:09 So, that’s cataclysmic.
1:18 We move about 200 animals,
1:19 our goal is to keep the capacity of our herd between 300 and 500,
1:24 400 to 500 is optimal.
1:26 So, we send those animals on an order of preference
1:29 to other conservation herds, to Indigenous groups,
1:32 to educational institutions, and if we still have animals left over after that
1:36 they go to public auction.
1:43 But there are some practical implications here too.
1:46 When you go from 26 to 30 million
1:49 down to a thousand,
1:50 and then you start increasing the size of these herds,
1:53 because of restoration efforts,
1:55 there is what is known as a genetic bottleneck.
2:03 Being able to increase genetic diversity means sharing animals.
2:08 Like the arrangement we have with Grasslands
2:11 is one way of doing this.
2:13 I love the idea that Wanuskewin
2:16 would be a beacon,
2:18 a model for grassland restoration,
2:22 bison restoration, and to celebrate First Nation cultural history.
2:27 It’s a realization of the dream of elders from 40 years ago,
2:30 and we’re so happy to have that realization back.
2:33 There was a prophecy that had once said that
2:36 when the bison come back, the culture comes back.
2:54 I think that’s how
2:57 people can work together.
2:58 That’s an example that we have to take care of each other,
3:02 when things are down…
3:05 And then a better life.
The continued conservation of bison
Over a century of hard work and partnerships has helped bison regain their place on the landscape and within cultures. Yet, the work to conserve bison is not over. Bison transfers remain an important step in bison conservation.
Plains Bison in the wintertime at Grasslands National Park. Photo: Johane Janelle/Parks Canada
Steve Michel unhooking the hooks from the sea can with Banff's new bison inside. Photo: Dan Rafla/Parks Canada
Parks Canada continues to learn from past experience with bison transfers. We adapt protocols and handling facilities to better manage conservation herds. We continue to work with partners to restore bison back onto the land.
Les Prendergast carefully watches a bull bison as it passes his station at the bison handling facility, Elk Island National Park. Photo: Cameron Johnson/Parks Canada
A Plains Bison in the West Block of Grasslands National Park.
Parks Canada is honoured to support the restoration of cultural heritage of Indigenous peoples through bison transfers. Parks Canada will continue to work in partnerships toward the survival and wellbeing of this iconic animal.
A Plains Bison grazes at sunset in the West Block of Grasslands National Park.
Learn more about bison projects happening across Parks Canada
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