Editor: This letter is in reply to a Calgary Herald story (Nov. 9, 2013). We have read all the chatter about the reintroduction of bison into our park.
Not at any time have we found information regarding the introduction of 28 bison in Jasper Park in 1973. It seems that it is purposely left out.
This event was a total failure and is the best example of animal cruelty we can think of.
The buffalo was reintroduced to Canada in 1906 from a Montana herd with several animals ending up in paddocks in Banff and Waterton parks. In 1973, a herd of 28 were driven to Rock Lake Ranger Station and put one at a time into a cage and flown by helicopter to the northeast of Jasper National Park.
The shaggy beasts apparently didn’t dig their new digs because majority shambled into the foothills outside the park not long after being released. Most were recaptured and returned, but strayed again and were lost for good.
Two bulls hung around but one vanished and the other was last seen in the fall of 1984. Let’s never repeat this mistake.
Of the 1,000 comments as mentioned in the Herald, I wonder how these comments would have read if the true story were known?
I was contracted to Banff park for 20 years as their rescue pilot and witnessed some horrific accidents with many vehicle animal fatalities. One I will mention is I was called to an elk/vehicle accident six kilometres east of Banff because of a possible helicopter medevac into Foothills Hospital.
However, the injured people were transferred by ambulance. The elk was still living and trying to crawl off the road with four broken legs and was destroyed. The vehicle was totalled.
The animal fencing was started in 1980 and goes through to Lake Louise with over and underpasses. We now have no animal fatalities. Before the fencing was in place, there was one fatal animal occurrence per day for many years, according to warden records.
The reason as mentioned in the statement regarding the 28 bison that disappeared is they went the same way as the elk, sheep, deer and bear fatalities, with huge insurance claims resulting from damaged vehicles.
Fencing the buffalo as they were from 1906 until the Banff Buffalo Park was removed was one of the most popular visitor this park had. The buffalo stayed contained, away from roads and the railroad, and were content and well fed. Safety was no problem.
We have northeast of Banff an unused large grassed area which would display the buffalo as before … the Banff Indian Grounds.
Jim Davies and Maureen Vroom, Park warden secretary of 25 years
