Bison management at Elk Island

Elk Island is a fully fenced national park in Canada. While this fence protects park bison from outside diseases and reduces negative bison encounters with neighbors outside the park, this fence greatly impacts the natural migration patterns of large hoofed animals, or ungulates. Parks Canada manages these bison populations to ensure they remain healthy and genetically resilient.

One of the main ways the park manages bison is by moving some of them to new homes. Bison populations in Elk Island are reduced through transfers to conservation projects, Indigenous communities or to private herds through auction. This helps Parks Canada to maintain a balanced herd with enough grazing land to keep bison healthy, protect the grasslands and support bison conservation in many places, including Canada and around the world.

Discover first-hand what it takes to protect this iconic species on a behind the scenes interpretive tour of Elk Island’s handling facilities.