Banff bison relocated to Rocky Mountain House after wandering out of park

Parks Canada says a bison has been relocated to Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site after it wandered out of Banff National Park.

A herd of wild plains bison has been free to roam a 1,200 square-kilometre area in the backcountry for the past year as part of a pilot project to determine whether they can be restored in the country's first national park.

Officials say they received a report on Aug. 1 that one of the animals was in a remote region outside of Banff National Park.

They say they took immediate action to investigate the report with aerial searches, ground patrols and remote cameras.

Following a second report, they say they were able to locate the bison about 14 kilometres northwest of Sundre, Alta., on Aug. 4.

Officials say they decided to immobilize and relocate the bison because of its proximity to agricultural areas and its continued eastward movement.