On June 6th 2019, I was invited by Travel Manitoba to visit Fort Whyte Alive for their Bison Safari Tour.
Knowing very less about Bison’s, I was really excited to learn more about these wonderful creatures in the wild, Bison’s are one of Manitoba’s provincial symbol!
I and a few other creators get on a bus that would take us as close as 2 feet to the bison herd at Fort Whyte Alive.
The park ranger gives us some information as everyone starts taking pictures. Bison’s can run up to 60km/hr and they can weigh up to 2000 pounds! You can tell a Bison’s mood by its tail, the higher the tail, the more uncomfortable they are with your presence.
The most shocking Bison story I heard from the park ranger at Fort Whyte Alive was that Bison’s were deliberately slaughtered in 1800s to starve the Indigenous community. Bison’s were the largest source of fur and food for the Indigenous community at that time. I started to feel a sense of sympathy towards these Bison’s, and every other creature out there in Mother Nature. I could feel the immense strength they carry as I saw a calf stroked his head to the mama bison to be fed.
After learning a bit more about Bison’s, we headed back to the Fort Whyte Alive reception center. Waiting for the next adventure, park ranger walked us to a hatchet throwing area. Adrenaline pumping through my veins as I saw the park ranger throwing a hatchet at the target while teaching us the technique. I felt like Jason Momoa; as it turns out, I have a bit of work to do on my “hatchet throwing skills”. Everyone took turns and only one of us was able to make it stick.
We then headed to roast some bannock at the fire and have some caribou. It was warm and the sun was still up, the fire started a bit early. But after roasting and having some bannock, I was glad that I had the opportunity to experience this.
