Fort Resolution (Dec 04/06) - Fort Resolution leaders need not worry about test-tube bison created from a former local herd, said the territorial government.

The process is not yet possible, said Judy McLinton, manager of communications for the NWT Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Deninu K'ue First Nations (DKFN) Chief Robert Sayine said that the NWT government had mentioned the idea of taking samples from the Hook Lake herd, but he did not know it was to go ahead.

"Our question is ownership," he said. "Who owns the samples?"

The community feels they have ownership of the bison, which were kept in a corral on the edge of Fort Resolution for ten years, he said.

The herd was put together in 1996 by the GNWT through an initiative by the federal government to help the wood bison, a threatened species, recover their numbers.

The effort in Fort Resolution was meant to keep the animals free of tuberculosis and other infectious diseases. However, tuberculosis was discovered in the herd last March and the animals were destroyed.

Before they were killed, sperm and egg samples were taken, said McLinton.

The samples are presently in Saskatchewan with a specialized company with expertise in biosecurity, she said.

The samples are still under quarantine, due to the presence of tuberculosis.

There are no plans in store for the samples right now, she said. They are under quarantine until further testing is complete. Also, said McLinton, no decisions will be made without consultation with Fort Resolution.

As for future plans for the bison samples, "it's hard to speculate," she said. "We don't know if it could ever be used."

Elders are worried by the idea of bison created by in-vitro fertilization, said Sayine. "They think it's crazy," he said. "It's not natural for anybody to be eating a test-tube bison.

However, McLinton said laboratory-born bison will not be popping out any time soon.

The University of Calgary and the Calgary Zoo are working on developing a technique, she said. But, a way to make in-vitro fertilized bison doesn't actually exist yet.

Beyond the scientific worries, Sayine said he feels strongly that anything taken from the bison should be owned by the community.

Local Metis Council President Lloyd Cardinal echoed that sentiment.

"We grew up the buffalo," he said. "We were the foster parents."

He said the government did not consult them on the issue of the samples taken. "Now they have the genetic pool of that herd," he said of the GWNT. "We need to be compensated on this."

McLinton said that the compensation agreement made with the Metis Council and DKFN covered everything. There will be no further money, she said.

Fort Resolution recently received $400,000 in compensation from the territorial government for their role in hosting the animals for ten years.

The Metis Council wanted $3.6 million in compensation. Instead, they received $160,000 and the DKFN $240,000.

Cardinal said the Metis Council wanted to take the GNWT to court, but they didn't have the funds.