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Bison Bull in his prime


Bison Bull in his prime
Photo Information
Copyright: Denis Mark (dmark11) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 195 W: 9 N: 655] (2633)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2011-08-08
Categories: Mammals
Camera: Canon EOS 60D, 100-400 4.5-5.6L, 77mm UV
Exposure: f/4.5, 1/500 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version, Workshop
Date Submitted: 2011-08-21 12:06
Viewed: 6154
Points: 30
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
I found this guy being dozey by the side of the road. This bull is standing in pawed out dirt patch. I have posted a picture in workshop as to what the Bison do with the dirt.

Plains Bison in Elk Island National Park

Whoops! Another accidental relocation… or was it?
The story of how the plains bison ended up in Elk Island National Park is an interesting one. In 1906, about 400 bison were purchased from ranchers Charles Allard and Michel Pablo of Montana, who were forced to sell the herd due to the loss of grazing land. The Dominion of Canada significantly outbid the American government and purchased the herd for $200 per head, plus an additional $45 charge per head for their safe and diseasefree delivery. The bison herd was destined for the newly established Buffalo National Park near Wainwright, Alberta; however, this park was yet to be fenced. Elk Island National Park (EINP), located just east of Edmonton, was already fully fenced, and in 1907 became the first home of the bison. Between 1909 and 1913, when the fence was completed at Buffalo National Park, the bison at EINP were rounded up and shipped to their new home. During the roundup, either accidentally or on purpose (no one really knows), about 48 head of bison could not, or were not, rounded up. The animals that were left formed the core of the Elk Island bison herd and, subsequently, many other herds throughout Canada and the United States.

An Island Oasis!
As the name indicates, Elk Island National Park is an “island” in a sea of farmland and industry. The park is 194 km (about 1/4 the size of the city of Edmonton!) and is bisected by the Trans-Canada Highway. The plains bison occupy the northern half of the park and a separate herd of wood bison are kept
isolated in the southern half of the park. Because of the small size and the “island” nature of the park, an
eight-foot fence completely surrounds the park, preventing bison, elk, and moose from leaving. Because of this lack of mobility, and the lack of predation, EINP has seen the semi-wild bison herd spike as high as 1479 animals (in 1939). Biologists recognized the need to reduce herd numbers in order to prevent over-grazing, and starvation, and to maintain a healthy herd. Prior to about 1960, surplus animals were not used in the large-scale repopulation projects we see today, due to the expense and logistics of handling these animals. Other ways of managing the population was by slaughtering surplus animals (with the meat donated to the Armed Forces and First
Nations communities) or by providing only two or three animals at a time to zoos and research facilities. One of the few large-scale relocations was in 1939, when a herd of 15 animals was sent to Banff National Park. Since about 1964, however, an increase in scientific and logistical technology has seen a change in the goals of the Elk Island bison herd. Since 1964, a relocation program called the Bison Recovery Program has seen 441 animal moved from Elk Island National Park to other wild or semi-wild herds throughout
Canada, the United States, and elsewhere in the world. All the current herds in the Parks Canada system have their origins in the Elk Island Bison Recovery Program.
The current population of plains bison in EINP is maintained at about 350 animals, after reductions. Between 100 and 200 animals are surplused every two years. Surplus animals are primarily used for reintroduction to wild or semi-wild herds in their historical range, but if that option is not available, they are put up for public auction.
marius-secan, jurek1951, PaulLees, Miss_Piggy, Ilducabianco, maaciejka, PeterZ, bungbing, jlinaresp, Pitoncle, Dis. Ac. has marked this note useful
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ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To Miss_Piggy: Too large!dmark11 2 08-23 00:09
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Critiques [Translate]

Hello Denis,
Fantastic image with superb light and perfect exposure.
Natural colors and very good clarity. The focus and sharpness are excellent.
Thanks for sharing!
Marius.

perfect profile portrait, TFS Ori

Hi Denis,
What an impressive animal presented in a very well done picture.
Excellent lighting. Also great contrast, colors, POV and BG. Very good sharpness and framing as well.
Jurek

Hi Denis, Wow what a very well presented image of this Bison/Buffalo image my good friend, fantastic stature with an awesome fearless build, (he reminds me when i was my prime hehehe), Well they are awesome and ominous looking beasts with an incredible history of near extinction in North America, however Denis a splendid picture indeed, con-grats and well done,
Best regards,

Pauly.

  • Great 
  • ana974 Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 477 W: 48 N: 968] (4857)
  • [2011-08-21 17:45]

Wow Denis! This gay is formidable!!! Many congrats for this great shot! A very unusual POV , great sharpness and nice natural colors.Really a good job!Good notes too! TFS
Nice week!
aNa

PS: thanks for visiting my gallery! I appreciated it!

Hallo Denis
Wow, this is a beautiful image of a magestic animal. This Plains Bison is almost to large for the screen. I just love the full framed composition and the very close point of view. The clarity of this image is great and the Bison in front of the greenery as backdrop displays beautifully. Thanks for sharing. Best regards.
Anna

Hi Denis.
Really excellent portrait of this bison bull. Excellent point of view. Great sharpness. Many details. Amazing colours.
Thanks for sharing,
Maciek

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 5137 W: 166 N: 13121] (49139)
  • [2011-08-22 7:36]

Hello Denis,
What a great photo! Fantastic sharpness, details and beautiful natural colours. Taken from a perfect POV. The workshop photo is impressive too. Excellent note!
Regards,
Peter

Impressive animal Denis! Beautiful photo with wonderful colours and very good sharpness. Interesting note and interesting photo in the WS.
Regards,
Christodoulos

Hi Denis,
Excellent shot of this impressive animal! superb clarity sharpness, great natural colours and nice tight in the frame,
Thanks for sharing and have a nice week,
Best Regards,
Bungbing.

  • Great 
  • PeakXV Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 121 W: 0 N: 544] (3135)
  • [2011-08-22 15:16]

Hi Denis,

Can't say I'd be too keen to bump heads with this fellow. A very nice profile image & the POV gives us a good sense at this species immense size. Perfect focus & the light is just right.
A nicely engineered composition!

Regards,

Derek

Hi Denis,
This is certainly an overwhelming animal, and your picture allows us to fully appreciate it. Good job.
Good note also.
Regards
TFS
Jesús

Bonjour Denis,
Belle posture du sujet bien restituée dans une bonne lumière et sous une exellente profondeur de champ.
A bientôt sur TN pour de nouvelles aventures.
Gérard

Hello Denis,

an fantastic shot taken by you.
Good pov and sharpness.
Fine colors..

Gert

Hi Denis,

This is really the HUGE one. Very well captured from a good POV with fine deatails of the bull. The workshop picture is also good the interesting note too.
Well done & TFS.
Kapil

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