Bulletins

Fort Smith, NT, February 14, 2025 - Parks Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) Department of Environment and Climate Change will be working collaboratively to collar wood bison in Wood Buffalo National Park.

Wood bison are listed as a threatened species under both the federal Species at Risk Act and the Species at Risk (NWT) Act. A number of actions are underway to support wood bison recovery, including the deployment of satellite collars.

GPS data from collars will provide wildlife managers with key information such as areas of critical habitat, herd movement, and distribution throughout the park and surrounding areas. This information will help inform management decisions, including actions to prevent the spread of bovine tuberculosis and bovine brucellosis, both of which are threats to wood bison recovery. It will also provide important movement and distribution data regarding how wood bison are reacting to the 2023 wildfires in the South Slave Region.

Parks Canada and the GNWT intend to collar up to twenty female adult wood bison within the Nyarling and Little Buffalo herds. These herds are free roaming and could be located anywhere within their range at any given time. Bison located along the highway provide collaring crews with the most efficient and controlled opportunity to handle them.

From February 16th – 21st, drivers along Highway 5 may see Parks Canada and GNWT teams collaring bison along the side of the highway. When passing, drivers are asked to reduce their speed and yield to other vehicles, wildlife, and people performing fieldwork.

We ask that people do not stop along the highway in areas where collaring is occurring to provide our teams with plenty of space to work safely and to minimize disturbances for the bison.

Contacts: