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DEH GAH GOT'IE KOE/FORT PROVIDENCE - Preliminary testing from a six-day monitoring survey has indicated the Mackenzie bison population is still disease-free.

The herd, which numbers approximately 1,600, is the largest disease-free wood bison herd in Canada, said Brett Elkin, a wildlife veterinarian with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR).

From March 20 to 25, Elkin and Terry Armstrong, a bison biologist, conducted tests on 15 bison that were culled from the population near Fort Providence. The field tests conducted on blood samples from the bison show that the animals aren't infected with either bovine tuberculosis or brucellosis. The samples will be sent to a lab for additional testing.

"The herd appears to be healthy and remains free of both of those diseases," said Elkin.

The Mackenzie bison population occupies approximately 20,000 square km from the Mackenzie River near Fort Providence north to Behchoko. The range abuts Great Slave Lake to the east and encompasses Mills Lake and Mink Lake to the west.

The bison control area separates the Mackenzie herd from the bison in the Wood Buffalo National Park that are infected with both of the diseases.

"The monitoring of the Mackenzie herd is just confirmation nothing has moved and the diseases haven't transferred," said Elkin.

The testing is part of a national surveillance program under the National Wood Bison Recovery Team. The program monitors the health of the disease-free herds of this threatened species to make sure they stay disease-free, Elkin said.

For the past three years, the testing has been done as a collaborative project between ENR and the Fort Providence Resource Management Board.

The board supplied five hunters, Lucas Elleze, George Nadli, Dennis Bonnetrouge, Eric Nadli and Ronald Squirrel along with three helpers, Lester Antoine, Gerald Causa and Joe Canadien to conduct the hunt.

"We let them hunt the way they normally hunt, and they take individuals from different herds," said Elkin.

The group harvested 15 bison this year averaging two to three animals per day over the six days. The harvest targeted older bulls because the bulls tend to roam farther than the cows, said Elkin.

Blood was taken from the animals at the harvest site before they were transported to the edge of the community for butchering.

The Fort Providence Resource Management Board is pleased to know that the Mackenzie population is still disease-free, said Priscilla Canadien, resource manager for the board.

"The testing, to the board, is very important," she said.

The board wants to ensure the population retains its disease-free status, Canadien said.

The board provided hunters for the testing who have been bison monitors during previous years. The men are chosen because they have experience and ensure that the appropriate animals are harvested, she said. The hunters are also familiar with the community's traditional areas.

Community members actively hunt the bison on an annual basis, said Canadien. Once a year, normally before or after the Thanksgiving Day long weekend in October, a draw is done for the 20 available tags. There are normally more names in the draw than there are tags, she said.

Meat from the animals that were harvested for the testing were also utilized.

"No meat was wasted," said Canadien.

A radio announcement informed Fort Providence residents the meat was available. Residents picked up the meat and were shown how to grind it. Some also took it to make dry meat, she said.

The majority was distributed locally but surrounding bands were also contacted to see if they were interested. Some people from Fort Simpson picked up meat and a portion went to the Salt River First Nation in Fort Smith, Canadien said.