This story was updated on Aug. 22 at 6:30 p.m. MT
The GNWT is awaiting test results for the potential anthrax case regarding a bison carcass found on Hwy 3. Terry Armstrong, a bison ecologist with GNWT, told True North FM surveillance flights are planned for when conditions allow. The results of testing done on the bison carcass were expected Friday but have been delayed by about another week. Aerial surveillance near the area of Hwy 3, early this week showed no signs of additional suspected cases. Pamela Narváez-Torres, who is a conservation specialist at the Alberta Wilderness Association, said because the disease can be passed from bison to people, it’s important to keep distance.
Armstrong reports that the aerial surveillance that was planned for Wednesday and Thursday this week were cancelled due to mechanical issues and due to smoky conditions from a wildfire in the area. A wildfire near Hwy 3 is showing increased activity and is currently over 200,000 hectares in size, according to NWT’s last assessment. Armstrong says that as of Friday morning the department has not received reports of ill or dead bison in the area near Hwy 3.
As a precaution, officials are also advising the public not to hunt Bison anywhere between Behchokǫ̀ to the Mackenzie River for the time being, said Armstrong.
Torres explained that diseases like anthrax can either be naturally occurring in the soil or can even be introduced by the presence of other species, like cows and cattle.
Environmental factors also come into play, including drought conditions, which the area around Hwy 3 has been prone to, along with ongoing wildfire activity over the summer.
Torres told True North FM that changes in the environment can precipitate conditions that make the bison more prone to disease.
“It has been shown that sometimes in the case of anthrax, long periods of rain or humidity followed by drought can actually introduce the abundance of bacteria that can cause the infections or the spores.”
Those kinds of weather conditions foster an environment that allows anthrax spores to last a long time or even cause an outbreak, said Torres
Anthrax is not among the most prevalent diseases for bison. Bovine tuberculosis and brucellosis are considered the most prevalent, explained Torres. These diseases are considered to be endemic for bison in the Slave River Lowlands and Wood Buffalo National Park populations, but the Mackenzie and Nahanni populations are considered free of those two diseases.
The Mackenzie population are wood bison. They experienced an anthrax outbreak in 2012, resulting in the death of about 500 bison.
If bison are infected with anthrax, they will experience symptoms which can be observable. Torres explained these can include complications visible on the skin or other signs like not keeping up with the herd, behaving differently from the rest of the herd or losing weight.
Bison hunters are usually very good at spotting these symptoms.
“Hunters tend to have really good eyes for catching these sorts of things, like catching if the animal’s acting funny or like if they have any skin abrasions or skin lesions or anything like that.”
For the general public, Torres advised to keep a distance from bison.
“Even if they look completely healthy or not, we should never be approaching wildlife.’
Torres said one reason for that has to do with certain diseases, including anthrax, which can spread from bison to people.
Especially diseases like anthrax, which are considered as pseudomonas meaning these are diseases that people have been known to catch from other animals like bison, explained Torres.
“This is a bacterial disease at least in the bison, they get it by ingestion or inhalation or skin abrasions.
Anthrax bacteria can be found in soil which has been contaminated by the spores. Bison can become infected with the disease if they inhale the spores rolling on the ground in dust baths or by ingesting them while grazing.
If out on the land, it’s a good idea to keep your campground clean, don’t leave food out and avoid any behaviour that might attract wild animals.
The Mackenzie bison population occupies a wilderness area of approximately 20,000 square km, from the Mackenzie River north to Behchoko, eastward to Yellowknife and west across Hwy 3 to the Mills Lake and Mink Lake area.
