Tyler Thoren

Wood Buffalo National Park is home to the largest free-ranging herd of woodland bison in the world. The herd is crucial to the survival of the subspecies, which is listed as threatened under Canada's Species at Risk Act. I cannot describe how excited I was for the opportunity to see them in the wild.

I knew they were much larger than plains bison, yet I do not think I understood completely how different being near them would feel. Elk Island National Park is a fantastic ecological park to see Bison roaming around yet there is a manicured and curated feel to the space. I truly enjoy visiting and photographing there but I feel so much more connected to the land of Wood Buffalo National Park.

There is a lumbering power of these animals that see very little human interaction. I became much more aware of the space I was occupying in reference to them. How important it was to carefully gauge their movements and simply make sure I was nothing but an invisible observer.

There are some photographs that I picture in my mind and dream of capturing and this is definitely one of the most memorable.

-Tyler Thoren