Parks Canada announced this week that wild bison have been released in a remote valley in Banff National Park in a project to re-establish a thriving herd in the area.
The released group numbers 16 bison in total, mostly pregnant 2-year-olds.
Parks Canada will monitor the herd with radio collars for the first 16 months, with the eventual goal of releasing the Bison group into a 1,200 square kilometer area where they will meet other native species and join a natural ecosystem.
Harvey Locke, a conservationist, writer and trustee with the Eleanor Luxton Historical Foundation in Banff, was quoted: “This is a great day for Banff National Park. It’s a great day for Canada and frankly, it’s one of the great days for wildlife conservation in the history of North America.”
Photos: Parks Canada and Johane Janelle/Parks Canada
