Elk Island National area officials are concerned about an increasing number of bison in the area being struck by cars. This comes after two separate crashes on Thursday morning resulted in the deaths of five animals. Kucey Jaclyn has additional.
At about four in the morning on Thursday, Fort Saskatchewan police were summoned to the park east of Edmonton. There are three bison near the park entrance that have already passed away and two more who have serious injuries. According to Park Canada, three of the victims were young girls, one was a small boy, and the other was a middle-aged man. Two pickup truck drivers remained at the scene to await police response, according to the RCMP, after their vehicles were involved in two separate nocturnal crashes. According to police, a significant contributing factor in the wrecks is thought to have been the dense fog that was present in the area at the time of the incidents.
The RCMP and Parks Canada put the two bison that were still alive but had suffered severe injuries to death. They all came from the same herd, according to the police.
A statement issued on Friday stated that Parks Canada “takes the protection of wildlife very seriously and works hard to reduce human-caused wildlife mortality.” “Parks Canada would like to remind drivers to drive cautiously and within posted speed limits, particularly in the early morning and evening when it may be harder to spot wildlife.”
There are five digital speed signs in the park, and they have recorded drivers exceeding the speed limit by up to 100 km/h, or 144 km/h in a 40 km/h zone. At least six bison were killed by cars in the park between 2020 and 2023. The park installed speed bumps as one of several steps to slow down vehicles. Situated around thirty kilometers east of Edmonton is the national park.
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