At Grasslands National Park, frozen Parks Canada bison burgers were sold at campground shops/Jennifer Bain
Parks Canada bison burgers sold in Saskatchewan this year at Grasslands National Park and Batoche National Historic Site came from surplus bison that went to local auction in 2021.
The plains bison herd at Grasslands is strong and healthy, Parks Canada reports. But “with few natural predators and to maintain the herd at a population where there is enough grazing land to keep them healthy, bison are periodically translocated. This also contributes to the protection of vegetation communities and rangeland for other species.”
Translocating surplus bison lets Parks Canada provide bison to conservation projects in Canada and internationally. Surplus bison have been provided to Indigenous communities, research institutions, other Canadian and American national parks for conservation projects, and for auction where they have contributed to Canada’s successful bison ranching industry.
Most bison in Canada today, including those in Grasslands, are descendants of members of the Elk Island National Park herd.
At Grasslands, the burgers were sold at the campground kiosks in vaccum-sealed packs of five for $20 ($15 USD). At Batoche, staff used frozen ground bison for homemade patties and sold burgers at the on-site café in the summer. They also used other meat for bison stew and bison soup.
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