Paul Bickford
Northern News Services

Fort Resolution (Aug 01/05) - Bovine tuberculosis infection in the captive bison herd in Fort Resolution may be worse than first thought.

Last month, the GNWT reported that one bison culled from the herd in March had been confirmed positive for tuberculosis, and the whole herd would be slaughtered as a result.

"There may be as many as 12 others that may be infected," Environment and Natural Resources Minister Michael Miltenberger says.

A new experimental blood test on the whole herd indicated a dozen bison might be infected, although there is a strong possibility of false positives, says Brett Elkin, a wildlife veterinarian with the department.

The results of the tests were received from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in June, about the same time the presence of TB in the first animal was confirmed by a more reliable test.

Last week, nine of the 12 bison were killed, but only one showed visible signs of tuberculosis when cut open.

Further testing will be done in Ontario to determine how many actually have bovine tuberculosis, and the results should be known in several weeks.

All animals in the herd will be tested as they are eventually killed to trace the disease.

Help needed

The 130-animal herd is the result of a nine-year project.

Sixty calves were brought from the Hook Lake area to create a disease-free herd to replace bison infected with tuberculosis and brucellosis in Wood Buffalo National Park. The controversial idea of eliminating the diseased animals in the park never became reality.

The Fort Resolution herd will be destroyed if the federal government doesn't help fund a process to save newborn calves. So-called generational separation takes newborns from their mothers, preventing TB from being transmitted through milk.

Miltenberger will discuss the issue with federal Environment Minister Stephane Dion, when he visits Yellowknife on Aug. 3.

The GNWT needs a "strong, concrete signal" of federal support, Miltenberger says.The herd has been solely funded by the GNWT to the tune of $3 million over the last nine years.

Concern in

Fort Resolution

Bernadette Unka, a former chief and now a councillor with Deninu Ku'e First Nation, says Fort Resolution has a number of concerns about the situation.

One is possible risk to human health from the herd, which is in pens on the edge of the community.

In particular, she worries about water delivery to the ranch by a truck that also delivers water to the rest of the community, and the possibility of contamination.

Miltenberger, also minister of Health and Social Services, says there is no contact between the animals and the water truck or hose.

Still, he notes the community stopped water delivery to the ranch last week, and alternate arrangements were made to obtain water from fire crews.

Unka calls the presence of the herd a "nine-year ordeal," since the community has lived with bison on its doorstep and now faces disease.

Unka notes the project has created no economic benefit for Fort Resolution, other than one job for a herdsman.

"They're more concerned with spending money on diseased buffalo than in spending money on my community," she says.

Miltenberger says the bison ranch was never designed to be an economic project for Fort Resolution, but was rather a scientific and environmental undertaking.

Despite her criticism of the project, Unka thinks generational separation should be attempted. "I kind of feel strongly we have to save the herd."

However, she wants it moved away from Fort Resolution to a site up the Slave River.

That would put the bison closer to their natural habitat, Unka says. "They can't be in my home."

Separation of generations

A former GNWT bison ecologist who was involved at the beginning of the recovery project also supports salvaging the herd through generational separation.

Cormack Gates, now a professor at the University of Calgary and co-chair of the National Wood Bison Recovery Team, says the project has been half successful, since it eliminated brucellosis.

"It's not a failure," Gates says.

One goal of the project was to test five antibodies to eliminate residual organisms of bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis.

Gates notes generational separation has never been tried for wood bison. "It's been used successfully in cattle."

The professor also says a national strategy is needed to deal with the situation. "That is the magic piece that has been missing for many years."

Gates, who advises the GNWT as a member of the Hook Lake project committee, says salvaging the herd would help preserve the gene pool of the wood bison.