TORONTO, ON, Thursday, November 10, 2016 - The Toronto Zoo has completed the review of the recent deaths of three wood bison and it has confirmed the initial assumption that the animals died as a result of a physical altercation between the two large female bison while attempting to pass each other in a chute.
On the night of the incident it is believed that while two animals were moving through the chute from the middle yard to the main paddock, a third bison entered into the chute from the main paddock and walked in the opposite direction. They met at a point of least resistance, the widest point of the runway and attempted to pass which resulted in an altercation between the two larger animals, ultimately leading to their deaths and the death of a yearling.
Background
In preparation for the fall reproductive program, staff initiated conditioning training for the bison in May to facilitate a positive experience for the bison and to familiarize the animals with the process of moving from one area of the paddock to another through a chute (runway).
This training began in May with staff preparing the bison to voluntarily walk through a chute from the main paddock into the middle yard. The training progressed well and had reached a stage where the gates between the main paddock and the middle yard were kept closed, and the bison were entering and exiting the middle yard for feeding through the chute. At this time the animals were provided with 24 hour access to the chute.
The training had been uneventful with the bison moving freely through the chute, however, the chute should only be accessible to animals when staff are present to supervise their movements and any changes to animal training or husbandry procedures (unsupervised access) must be documented and approved by Management. This was not done and as a result, two Zoo staff were disciplined for not following guidelines and procedures. The Zoo will be reinforcing protocols with every member of our Wildlife Care staff to ensure an incident like this does not happen again.
Zoo staff continued with the reproductive program in early October with 15 female wood bison artificially inseminated.
Wood Bison Program at Toronto Zoo
The Toronto Zoo has been involved in a wood bison conservation program for more than 40 years. This conservation program started in the 1970s with wood bison recovery which led to re-introductions in the 1980s and 90s. In 2007, the Zoo joined the Wood Bison Reproduction Research Group, a network that includes the University of Saskatchewan, University of Calgary, Calgary Zoo, Government of Northwest Territories, and Parks Canada to accelerate the development and application of assisted reproductive technologies (ART). Each of these members brought their own specialties to the group: animal facilities, equipment, technical expertise, critical thinking and access to disease-free wood bison.
The wood bison population in Canada is estimated to be around 10,000 and they are currently classified as threatened by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC).
