Life in the Knife

A Wood Bison Encounter in the NWT

Posted on 25. Aug, 2009 by Shane in Animals & Wildlife, Sightseeing

Here is an August encounter with several groups of Wood Bison in the Northwest Territories. The Wood Bison (aka. the Wood Buffalo) are a unique sub-species of the North American Bison (Plains Bison). There are clear differences between the Wood Bison and the Plains Bison. The most obvious difference is that the Wood Bison weighs much more than the average Plains Bison. Some large Wood Bison males can easily weigh over 900 kilograms (2,000 pounds), making it the biggest land animal in North America. The range of Wood Bison includes a large portion of the boreal forest areas of the Yukon, western Northwest Territories, north-eastern British Columbia, northern Alberta and north-western Saskatchewan and even parts of Alaska.

IMPORTANT DRIVING WARNING: Vehicle collisions with a Wood Bison can cause your vehicle significant damage and even bodily harm. Please take extra precautions when approaching Wood Bison as they are not the most intelligent animals and will walk in front of vehicles without warning. And be especially cautions while driving at night, particularly along Highways 3, 5 and 7, because Wood Bison easily blend in with the darkness (like shadows). Check out my photos of the Wood Bison along the Yellowknife Highway, Northeast of Fort Providence, Northwest Territories below.

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Tags: american wood bison, bison, buffalo, Fort Providence, northwest territories, nwt, Wood Bison, wood buffalo, Yellowknife Highway