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So says CBC Whitehorse, in the lead story from this morning’s 7:30 news broadcast (transcript not available online):
Yukon bison are getting out of control. A recent survey confirms the herd is growing far faster than the government wants. The survey confirms what Champagne-Aishihik First Nation hunters have been saying for years. The bison herd has grown leaps and bounds. The Yukon government set a target population limit at 500 animals. Last week they counted 641 and Environmental officials believe there could be 300 more that couldn’t be counted in the aerial survey.
An official with the first nation says the animals are scaring people.
"Bison, especially this time of year, are very aggressive, not afraid of people, not afraid of vehicles and they’re quite imposing having an animal that’s that large and right beside it.” This winter more than 200 licensed hunters will get a shot at thinning the herd but poor success rates suggests it’s a losing battle.
Additional details from the 12 noon CBC news:
First nations officials estimate the herd is now 1000 strong. Hunters say the bison herds are ruining the landscape, damaging private property and scaring people with their aggressive behaviour.
The government is working on altering bison-hunting rules to increase the proportion of hunters who bag an animal. In recent years, the success rate has been around 33 percent.
“Aggressive” bison are “scaring people”? Check out this photo of a Yukon bison in the wild. This docile critter doesn’t look very threatening. But maybe their character changes when they gather in large herds, kinda like human critters.
Speaking of hunting bison in Yukon, my good friend Peter Harms was instrumental in getting the Yukon Bison Hunt introduced into Yukon elementary schools. In 2000, he led the first group of school kids from Elijah Smith Elementary School, Whitehorse, on what was for several years an annual event. In view of today’s news story, they need to start it up again.
The school’s website features dozens of photos from the hunts and feasts. Warning to vegetarians and animal "rights" activists: do NOT click here. Living off the land is not pretty. You have been warned!
ESPECIALLY do not click here. This is what harmony with nature and all that good stuff looks like in real life. Authentic aboriginal culture stripped of patronising romanticism.
My parents worked at Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota for a time. Wind Cave has bison, and the rangers often have their hands full making sure people don’t get too close to them. They were generally docile even around people (the rangers didn’t try to keep people away from the bison completely), but when anything spooks them they get violent, and they have a lot of muscle and mass to throw around. One story I remember hearing is about a group in a car who drove too close to a herd for their comfort; one of the bisons charged the car, slammed into it so that it rolled over, and then started jumping up and down on it. Beyond being shaken up no one was hurt, but the car, they say, looked like it had been in a wreck.
Thanks, Brandon. I was a bit too flippant there. I know that even one bison or another large herbivore (moose, deer, sheep) can cause significant damage and injury if it gets nervous. They may eat only grass, but if they get up a head of steam for whatever reason, watch out!
I worked at Wind Cave this summer, and yeah bison are scary. I was on trail crew, so we ran into them a lot. They generally ignore people, but they’re unpredictable, and they’re quick when they want to be. During the rut, bulls are really agitated. My friend and I had to climb a tree to escape bison once while we were out hiking. We saw a group of bulls wandering our way and got nervous, so we decided to climb a tree. As I started climbing, I noticed they were jogging our way. We were barely ten feet up before they were right beneath us, and they didn’t leave for a good fifteen minutes. They look like cows in pictures, but up close they can be really intimidating.
Canadian bison thrive under private ownership…
Bison were hunted close to extinction as the Western prairies came under cultivation, but now, thanks to the Canadian bison industry, they have made a big comeback. Statistics Canada today released analysis of the 2006 Census of Agriculture, whic…