Rancher Seeks To Co-exist With Bison
Friday, July 16, 2010 at 14:45
New fences and opportunities in tourism are being held up as possible ways to keep bison from ruining farm-land in the Big River area.
Gord Vaadeland is a rancher in the area who heads up a stewardship group designed to co-exist with the animals.
He says herds of them often come onto his land between August and October in search of hay bales.
The animals usually live within the confines of the Prince Albert National Park but do stray.
The damage they do is significant is and so he has been looking for solutions to the problem.
He says the University of Laval has been experimenting with diversionary fencing however.
He explains the fences aren’t designed to keep the animals inside the park, rather it’s simply to direct them to areas where they can find food.
Vaadeland says he has constructed his own fence to keep bison away from sensitive areas.
He adds he’s also trying to think up ways of getting tourists to come to his ranch to see the animals for themselves.