Post by Okwes on Mar 21, 2006 10:20:29 GMT -5
*Feds revive plan for mass bison slaughter*
Radical step considered as diseases put ranches at risk
Ed Struzik
The Edmonton Journal
Monday, March 20, 2006
www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=1c31fb20-bfe2-4a16-8d2f-e66cf6adae11&k=43314
EDMONTON -- The federal government is again considering a plan to
destroy the world's largest free-roaming bison herd to curb diseases
that threaten ranches in Western Canada as well as a nearby healthy herd
of wild bison.
The eradicated herd would be replaced with disease-free bison from Elk
Island National Park near Edmonton.
Wood Buffalo National Park, which straddles Alberta's border with the
Northwest Territories, is home to about 4,000 bison, nearly all of which
are descendants of a herd shipped to the park between 1925 and 1928.
A team of 32 scientists believe they have the answers to the scientific
and technical questions that helped kill a similar plan in 1990.
The scientists -- representing federal, provincial and territorial
governments and agencies, universities and international organizations
-- collaborated on a report for Parks Canada and the Canadian Wildlife
Service.
In it, the scientists unanimously agree that "under tightly controlled
conditions, there would be a very high probability of eradicating both
diseases."
The experts say the plan would cost $62 million to $78 million and would
take up to 20 years to complete -- 10 years to depopulate and another 10
for reintroduction.
If all goes according to the plan, Wood Buffalo park would be home to as
many bison as it is today, but without the diseases that make them
vulnerable to predators and early death.
The authors of the report realize the proposal will be controversial.
A mass slaughter would likely involve corralling and killing large
numbers of animals, shooting others from airplanes and helicopters, and
fitting radio collars to remaining lead bison in order to track them to
survivors.
But government officials familiar with the report say the new government
of Prime Minister Stephen Harper may not have the luxury of putting off
a decision on the issue as the Mulroney and Chretien governments did.
Avian flu, chronic wasting disease and tuberculosis-infected elk in and
around Riding Mountain National Park have created a new sense of urgency
in the agricultural and wildlife management communities.
So has the proliferation of domestic bison and cattle ranches in and
around Wood Buffalo park. There are now more than 250 such ranches at
risk of contracting the diseases from animals straying from the national
park.
The most immediate threat, however, is to more than 2,000 disease-free
animals in the Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary northwest of Wood Buffalo. If
the diseases spread from the park, they are likely to hit this healthy
herd first.
The Canadian Cattlemen's Association, Agriculture Canada, the Alberta
government and various U.S. agencies have expressed serious concerns
about the diseases spreading.
One study suggests an outbreak of the two diseases from Wood Buffalo
could cost the domestic bison and cattle industries in Western Canada
more than $1 billion over 20 years.
The disease problem began in the 1920s, when more than 6,000 plains
bison were moved north to join a group of wood bison when the herd
outgrew its old home at Buffalo National Park near Wainwright.
But it was soon discovered that before the move, many of the plains
bison sent to Wood Buffalo park were infected with brucellosis and
tuberculosis from cattle grazing on the same pastures. Tuberculosis was
found in the park in 1937, and bovine brucellosis -- which causes
spontaneous abortions in cattle -- by 1956.
Parks Canada and other government departments have been trying ever
since to find a way to manage the diseases.
A solution was believed to be at hand 16 years ago, when a review panel
recommended going ahead with Agriculture Canada's plan to destroy all of
the animals.
The so-called "Armageddon option" created such a huge public outcry that
the government of former prime minister Brian Mulroney pulled the plug
on the proposal at the last minute.
When that plan was abandoned back in 1990, it seemed no one involved
could stomach the idea of thousands of animals being shot in a national
park.
A number of scientists were also worried that too much genetic diversity
would be lost by eliminating such a large herd of animals, and doubted
if it was even possible to kill every bison in a heavily forested area
bigger than Switzerland.
As well, there were fears that the removal of so much prey would have a
catastrophic impact on the park's ecosystem, especially for the wolf
population and the park's vegetation, even if it were only for 10 years.
The authors of the new report now say the gene pool may be preserved
through technology including in vitro fertilization, and that
reintroduction of Elk Island bison will eventually rebalance the ecosystem.
estruzik@thejournal.canwest.com
© The Edmonton Journal 2006
The material in this post is distributed without
profit to those who have expressed a prior interest
in receiving the included information for research
and educational purposes. For more information go to:
www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html
oregon.uoregon.edu/~csundt/documents.htm
If you wish to use copyrighted material from this email
for purposes that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain
permission from the copyright owner.
Radical step considered as diseases put ranches at risk
Ed Struzik
The Edmonton Journal
Monday, March 20, 2006
www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=1c31fb20-bfe2-4a16-8d2f-e66cf6adae11&k=43314
EDMONTON -- The federal government is again considering a plan to
destroy the world's largest free-roaming bison herd to curb diseases
that threaten ranches in Western Canada as well as a nearby healthy herd
of wild bison.
The eradicated herd would be replaced with disease-free bison from Elk
Island National Park near Edmonton.
Wood Buffalo National Park, which straddles Alberta's border with the
Northwest Territories, is home to about 4,000 bison, nearly all of which
are descendants of a herd shipped to the park between 1925 and 1928.
A team of 32 scientists believe they have the answers to the scientific
and technical questions that helped kill a similar plan in 1990.
The scientists -- representing federal, provincial and territorial
governments and agencies, universities and international organizations
-- collaborated on a report for Parks Canada and the Canadian Wildlife
Service.
In it, the scientists unanimously agree that "under tightly controlled
conditions, there would be a very high probability of eradicating both
diseases."
The experts say the plan would cost $62 million to $78 million and would
take up to 20 years to complete -- 10 years to depopulate and another 10
for reintroduction.
If all goes according to the plan, Wood Buffalo park would be home to as
many bison as it is today, but without the diseases that make them
vulnerable to predators and early death.
The authors of the report realize the proposal will be controversial.
A mass slaughter would likely involve corralling and killing large
numbers of animals, shooting others from airplanes and helicopters, and
fitting radio collars to remaining lead bison in order to track them to
survivors.
But government officials familiar with the report say the new government
of Prime Minister Stephen Harper may not have the luxury of putting off
a decision on the issue as the Mulroney and Chretien governments did.
Avian flu, chronic wasting disease and tuberculosis-infected elk in and
around Riding Mountain National Park have created a new sense of urgency
in the agricultural and wildlife management communities.
So has the proliferation of domestic bison and cattle ranches in and
around Wood Buffalo park. There are now more than 250 such ranches at
risk of contracting the diseases from animals straying from the national
park.
The most immediate threat, however, is to more than 2,000 disease-free
animals in the Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary northwest of Wood Buffalo. If
the diseases spread from the park, they are likely to hit this healthy
herd first.
The Canadian Cattlemen's Association, Agriculture Canada, the Alberta
government and various U.S. agencies have expressed serious concerns
about the diseases spreading.
One study suggests an outbreak of the two diseases from Wood Buffalo
could cost the domestic bison and cattle industries in Western Canada
more than $1 billion over 20 years.
The disease problem began in the 1920s, when more than 6,000 plains
bison were moved north to join a group of wood bison when the herd
outgrew its old home at Buffalo National Park near Wainwright.
But it was soon discovered that before the move, many of the plains
bison sent to Wood Buffalo park were infected with brucellosis and
tuberculosis from cattle grazing on the same pastures. Tuberculosis was
found in the park in 1937, and bovine brucellosis -- which causes
spontaneous abortions in cattle -- by 1956.
Parks Canada and other government departments have been trying ever
since to find a way to manage the diseases.
A solution was believed to be at hand 16 years ago, when a review panel
recommended going ahead with Agriculture Canada's plan to destroy all of
the animals.
The so-called "Armageddon option" created such a huge public outcry that
the government of former prime minister Brian Mulroney pulled the plug
on the proposal at the last minute.
When that plan was abandoned back in 1990, it seemed no one involved
could stomach the idea of thousands of animals being shot in a national
park.
A number of scientists were also worried that too much genetic diversity
would be lost by eliminating such a large herd of animals, and doubted
if it was even possible to kill every bison in a heavily forested area
bigger than Switzerland.
As well, there were fears that the removal of so much prey would have a
catastrophic impact on the park's ecosystem, especially for the wolf
population and the park's vegetation, even if it were only for 10 years.
The authors of the new report now say the gene pool may be preserved
through technology including in vitro fertilization, and that
reintroduction of Elk Island bison will eventually rebalance the ecosystem.
estruzik@thejournal.canwest.com
© The Edmonton Journal 2006
The material in this post is distributed without
profit to those who have expressed a prior interest
in receiving the included information for research
and educational purposes. For more information go to:
www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html
oregon.uoregon.edu/~csundt/documents.htm
If you wish to use copyrighted material from this email
for purposes that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain
permission from the copyright owner.