Wood Bison in the NWT
Wood bison, (Bison
bison athabascae), northern cousins of the plains bison (Bison
bison bison), are
North America's largest land mammals. In Dogrib, bison are
called Dechita goji / enareh goji and in North Slavey they are ?ejire.
Wood bison are found in four
areas of the NWT:
Mackenzie
Bison Population: This is the
world's largest free-ranging herd of disease-free wood bison.
Liard River Valley:
These disease-free bison
range through
the Liard River Valley and have expanded their movements into
British Columbia and the Yukon.
Slave River Lowlands:
Two herds in this area include
the Little Buffalo herd on the west side of the Slave River
and the Hook Lake herd on the east side. Both are infected with bovine
tuberculosis and brucellosis.
Wood Buffalo National Park: Established
in 1922, this park was established to save the wood bison from extinction.
All wood bison within the park are infected
with bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis.
 The
Bison
Control Area, an area which is free of bison, was established to
lower the risk of diseased herds coming in contact with healthy
herds.
Wood Bison in the NWT are classified as
Threatened. Read more:
Species
at Risk Fact Sheet - Wood Bison
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