Round-up on the northern prairie

Page 2

Dry grass swirls through the air and the ground vibrates as a helicopter swoops down from above in an effort to separate a wood bison

calf from the rest of the stampeding herd.

When the panicked animals disappear into the willows and spruce and the

chopper flies off on another mission, a lone bison calf, entangled in an

orange net, is all that remains on the open, brown prairie.

The calf is one of 20 young animals captured from the Hook Lake bison

herd during the third week of May. The calf capture is the first step

in a plan to replace the struggling herd at Hook Lake with healthy new

stock. A plan that has the Fort Resolution Aboriginals Wildlife

Harvester's Committee and the Northwest Territories Department of

Renewable Resources working together.

Hook Lake, an area of prime bison habitat that has traditionally been a

rich hunting ground, is about half-way between Fort Resolution, N.W.T.

and Fort Smith, N.W.T.

At one time the bison herd at Hook Lake numbered 1,700. That was

before over hunting and disease led to the herd's decline in the 1970s

and 1980s. Wolf predation did further damage. In 1987, the herd

numbered 183. This winter it was surveyed at around 400.

Renewable Resources suspects this year's census to be misleading and

probably due to another herd, of approximately 200 animals, traveling

across the Slave River this winter to the Hook Lake area.

The people at Fort Resolution, a Dene and Metis community, didn't want

to see one of their important sources of wild meat, and a strong link to

the past, disappear.

When the Aboriginal Wildlife Harvester's Committee received $60,000 of

government funding in 1991, Danny Beaulieu, president of the committee

and sub-chief of the Deninu K'ues First Nation, started on a proposal to

reclaim the Hook Lake herd.

"If we don't do this there will be nothing out there in 10 years, said

Beaulieu.

Over the past five years, the plan was perfected by Beaulieu, Dr.

Cormack Gates, a renewable resources biologist and bison expert, Pinto

Dragon, a university student from Fort Smith and the Elders of fort

Resolution.

Each spring for the next three years, 20 bison calves will be captured

from Hook Lake and raised in captivity. This year's calves ere

captured by Doc Sutherland and Stuart Wood of Outbound Aviation. While

Sutherland pilots the helicopter, stampeding the bison and swooping down

like a predatory bird to separate a calf from its mother, Woods hangs

out the window with his net gun ready.

When the helicopter is 4.5 m to 6 m above the target animal, Wood fires

the gun and shoots a weighted net over the animal.

Sutherland lands the helicopter and Wood jumps out, blindfolds and hog

ties the calf and gives it a small shot of Valium to keep it calm.

This method of capture, which Sutherland and Wood have used on

everything from adult bison and bears to wild horses and moose, is a

friendly way of capturing a live animal.

Once captured the animals are flown to Fort Resolution where they are

examined by veterinarians Brett Elkin and Susan Kutz who give the

animals injections to fight off tuberculosis and brucellosis.

While the experience sounds like it would be traumatic for the bison

calves that are only a few days old and weight between 22 and 45 kg,

they handle it very well.

"I'm absolutely amazed with how quickly these babies adapt. Within a

couple of hours they're not shy around people and in another couple

they're taking the bottle," said Gates.

For the first nine months the babies are treated with antibiotics.

After the first nine months, the animals will be tested twice per year

for three years, once after their first calving and once every three

years after that. A maximum of four young bulls are being brought in

each year, so the new herd will be well balanced for optimum breeding.

In 10 to 15 years, the new herd will be returned to the wild.

A hunting quota will likely be implemented for the first few years,

until the animals regain their fear of humans.