Parks Canada is considering reintroducing bison to Banff National Park.
"We've had a number of groups of individuals that have mentioned they'd like to see bison back in the park so we are looking at the feasibility of bringing bison back," says Michelle Macullo from Parks Canada.
For thousands of years, plains bison grazed along the eastern slopes of Rocky Mountains.
The last ones died just over 100 years ago.
For several decades, a small herd of domestic bison did call Banff National Park home but they were moved out in the 1990's.
The idea of reintroducing the animal is getting lots of support from the public.
"I think it's a great idea. I just got back from Yellowstone National Park a couple of weeks ago and there's bison everywhere there. It's a good spectacle and they are such an interesting animal," says Mac McDonald.
There are concerns about the idea though.
Parks Canada says it wants to allow the animals to roam freely so they can live as they were meant to.
Some conservation groups are worried because bison are big animals that cover a lot of territory. "There is some concern about bison wandering off outside the boundary onto provincial land but I think that can be mitigated through education," says Anne-Marie Sysoak from the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society.
Parks Canada is asking for public input on the idea of reintroducing bison.
To see the proposed park management plan you can click on the link for Parks Canada.
You can also make a submission by email to mike.murtha@pc.gc.ca
