Status of the Wood Bison (Bison bison athabascae) in Alberta Jonathan A. Mitchell and C. Cormack Gates Alberta Wildlife Status Report No. 38 January 2002 Published By: i Publication No. T/007 ISBN: 0-7785-1838-8 (Printed Edition) ISBN: 0-7785-1839-6 (On-line Edition) ISSN: 1206-4912 (Printed Edition) ISSN: 1499-4682 (On-line Edition) Series Editors: Sherry Feser and Robin Gutsell Illustrations: Brian Huffman For copies of this report, contact: Information Centre - Publications Alberta Environment/Alberta Sustainable Resource Development Fish and Wildlife Division Main Floor, Great West Life Building 9920 - 108 Street Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5K 2M4 Telephone: (780) 422-2079 OR Information Service Alberta Environment/Alberta Sustainable Resource Development #100, 3115 - 12 Street NE Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2E 7J2 Telephone: (780) 297-3362 OR Visit our web site at : http://www3.gov.ab.ca/srd/fw/status/index.html This publication may be cited as: Mitchell, J. A. and Gates, C.C. 2002. Status of the Wood Bison (Bison bison athabascae) in Alberta. Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, Fish and Wildlife Division, and Alberta Conservation Association, Wildlife Status Report No. 38, Edmonton, AB. 32 pp. ii PREFACE Every five years, the Fish and Wildlife Division of Alberta Sustainable Resource Development reviews the status of wildlife species in Alberta. These overviews, which have been conducted in 1991, 1996 and 2000, assign individual species “ranks” that reflect the perceived level of risk to populations that occur in the province. Such designations are determined from extensive consultations with professional and amateur biologists, and from a variety of readily available sources of population data. A primary objective of these reviews is to identify species that may be considered for more detailed status determinations. The Alberta Wildlife Status Report Series is an extension of the general statusing exercises (1996 Status of Alberta Wildlife, The General Status of Alberta Wild Species 2000), and provides comprehensive current summaries of the biological status of selected wildlife species in Alberta. Priority is given to species that are potentially at risk in the province (“At Risk,” “May Be At Risk”), that are of uncertain status (“Undetermined”), or which are considered to be at risk at a national level by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). Reports in this series are published and distributed by the Alberta Conservation Association and the Fish and Wildlife Division of Alberta Sustainable Resource Development. They are intended to provide detailed and up-to-date information which will be useful to resource professionals for managing populations of species and their habitats in the province. The reports are also designed to provide current information which will assist the Alberta Endangered Species Conservation Committee to identify species that may be formally designated as “Endangered” or “Threatened” under Alberta’s Wildlife Act. To achieve these goals, the reports have been authored and/or reviewed by individuals with unique local expertise in the biology and management of each species. iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The wood bison (Bison bison athabascae) is the largest terrestrial mammal in North America and originally was scattered in small, non-migratory herds from northern Alberta to Alaska. Like the plains bison (Bison bison bison), hunting nearly eliminated the wood bison at the end of the 19th century, when the species’ population reached an estimated low of 250. The bison has been an important element of the fauna of Alberta for nearly 10 000 years, providing sustenance and materials for many of Alberta’s first human residents. Bison also provide an important source of food to wolves and other animals that scavenge their carcasses. Wood bison are considered obligate grazers, primarily consuming the grasses and sedges found in the small prairies of the boreal forest. Bison may be partially responsible for maintaining these habitats. Fire suppression, disruption of flood regimes and the disappearance of bison from northern Alberta have likely combined to result in forest encroachment and eventual loss of some of these boreal prairies. Reintroduction efforts have been undertaken in northern Canada, including one location in Alberta. The Hay-Zama herd located near Assumption, Alberta was estimated to number 200 animals in March 2001. However, this herd may be threatened by the wood bison in and around Wood Buffalo National Park (WBNP), which are infected with the cattle diseases of bovine tuberculosis and bovine brucellosis. The presence of these diseases is the most significant factor limiting further recovery of Wood Bison in Alberta. Other pressures include expansion of agriculture in the boreal region, in particular commercial bison ranching, and increasing industrialization of northern parts of the province. Disease surveillance measures for the Hay-Zama herd need to be developed to protect these animals from infection. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) lists the Wood Bison as “Threatened” but does not provide a designation for plains bison (COSEWIC 2001). Wood bison and plains bison are aggregated under the taxonomic designation Bos bison by the Canadian Endangered Species Council (2001), which lists the species as “Sensitive” in Canada. In Alberta, the wood bison is considered “At Risk” according to The General Status of Alberta Wild Species 2000 (Alberta Sustainable Resource Development 2001). Within a designated management area in the northwestern section of the province, bison are listed as “Endangered” under Alberta’s Wildlife Act. Additional research needs to be conducted to determine the status of bison between Hay-Zama and WBNP, and other areas in northern Alberta. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to acknowledge the following people who have helped in the creation of this report through contributing current information or by reviewing previous versions of the report: Adam James, Dave Moyles, Doug Culbert, Kim Morton and Robin Gutsell (Alberta Sustainable Resource Development); Sherry Feser , Dawn Birn and Isabelle Michaud (Alberta Conservation Association); Lisa Fischer (University of Calgary); Vern Neal (Little Red River and Tall Cree First Nations); Keith Lyseng (Alberta Sustainable Resource Development); Doug Scott (Canadian Food Inspection Agency); Dan Patten (Peace Country Bison Association); and John Nishi (Government of the Northwest Territories). Preparation of this report was funded by the Wildlife Management Enhancement Fund of the Alberta Conservation Association and the Fish and Wildlife Division of Alberta Sustainable Resource Development. v TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE ........................................................................................................................... iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................................................................................................iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................ v INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 HABITAT ............................................................................................................................ 1 CONSERVATION BIOLOGY ............................................................................................ 3 DISTRIBUTION ................................................................................................................. 5 1. Alberta .................................................................................................................... 6 2. Other Areas ............................................................................................................. 6 POPULATION SIZE AND TRENDS .................................................................................. 6 1.0 Alberta .................................................................................................................. 6 1.1 Free-Ranging ............................................................................................. ..6 1.2 Captive.................................................................................................... ..10 2.0 Other Areas ....................................................................................................... ..11 2.1 Free-Ranging ........................................................................................... ..11 2.2 Captive with Conservation Objectives ...................................................... ..11 2.3 Free-Ranging/Diseased ............................................................................ ..11 LIMITING FACTORS ...................................................................................................... 12 1. Disease ................................................................................................................. 12 2. Agriculture ........................................................................................................... ..14 3. Forestry, Oil and Gas ............................................................................................. 15 4. Hunting ................................................................................................................ ..15 5. Management .........................................................................................................