Ranchers leave the bison business

Photo by Whitehorse Star

The LaPrairie Bison Ranch has shipped all of its bison to Saskatchewan, the Yukon government has confirmed.

Cliff and Virginia LaPrairie could not be reached by phone this week to discuss their decision to get out of bison game farming.

Environment Yukon spokeswoman Nancy Campbell said the government is limited in what it can say because of privacy considerations and an outstanding lawsuit filed in 2010 by the LaPrairies against the Yukon government.

“We can confirm that all of the bison were shipped out to Saskatchewan,” she said.

Campbell said while she can’t disclose specifics about the export permits, she did confirm an export permit for game farm animals was issued for the period Dec. 14 to Dec. 31, 2011.

While there are a handful of game farms in the Yukon, the LaPrairie farm was the only one with bison, as most farms handle elk.

In 2009, the Yukon government implemented a moratorium on importing any more game farm animals into the territory.

“The moratorium will remain in place pending a determination by the veterinary officer regarding the risk posed by imports,” Campbell said.

She said there is no deadline for the veterinary officer to report her findings about the risk of importing game farm animals.