Fort Resolution (Apr 03/06) - A decade-long experiment to preserve a disease-free bison herd in the South Slave has come to an end.

The last of the captive bison in Fort Resolution were shipped to Alberta for slaughter on March 23.

The captive bison herd in Fort Resolution is no more. The last of the herd was shipped to Alberta for slaughter on March 23. - NNSL file photo

Early last year, tuberculosis was discovered in the herd, leading to its elimination.

All that now remains is for the GNWT and Fort Resolution to agree on compensation to the community for hosting the animals over the past 10 years.

At a March 23 meeting in Yellowknife, Deninu Ku'e First Nation Chief Robert Sayine and Fort Resolution Metis Council president Lloyd Cardinal discussed the issue with Environment and Natural Resources Minister Michael Miltenberger.

"He made us an offer on compensation, but we still have to bring it to the community," Sayine says.

A community meeting is hoped to be held sometime this week.

Sayine is not personally satisfied with the offer, although he would not go into details until the community has a chance to consider it. "I think it should be a little more."

Sayine says the offer involves work for the community cleaning up and remediating the site, along with financial compensation.

Miltenberger will not be commenting on the discussions while they are ongoing, says department spokesperson Judy McLinton.

The minister previously said proceeds from the sale of healthy meat in Alberta will go to Fort Resolution.

Plus, salvageable buildings or equipment from the 40-hectare ranch would go to the community, and the First Nation and the Metis would get the contract to remediate the site.

Most of the herd was shipped by truck to an abattoir in Lacombe, Alta.

"Eighty animals were shipped south to the abattoir," McLinton says. "Seventeen were killed on site."

Of the animals killed in Fort Resolution, two had tuberculosis. Since last year, six other cases of TB were discovered. The 15 other animals were bulls too large to transport. Meat from those animals was distributed to the community.

The animals shipped south will be killed and tested for bovine tuberculosis at the abattoir.

The GNWT established the herd in 1996 to preserve a bison population free of TB and brucellosis in the South Slave.

Over the years, the territorial government spent $3 million on the project, which involved founder animals from the Hook Lake area. Before TB was discovered, the GNWT was planning to wrap up the project because no federal funding was available to keep it going.

Slaughter of the herd and site remediation will cost the GNWT between $50,000-$100,000.

Once the work is completed, control of the Commissioner's land will revert back to the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs.