April 2008

Yellowstone Bison Spring Cleaning

Paws Down!

To the National Park Service and the Montana Department of Livestock for the agencies’ annual spring bison slaughter.

A controversy several years in the making, the National Park Service and the Montana Department of Livestock annually partner to permit the hunting and/or capture and slaughtering of Yellowstone bison.  In the 2007/2008 year alone, some 1,600 bison have been killed.

During the winter/early spring seasons, an estimated 25% of the Yellowstone bison (averaging 3,000 in total population), will unknowingly breach park property lines in search of new grazing areas.  Unfortunately, federal and state agencies contend that bison, 1) pose a competitive threat to natural resources when they forage on land leased for cattle grazing, 2) may be destructive to private properties and 3) may spread brucellosis to domestic cattle.  Thankfully, to address these concerns many of the wandering bison are herded or “hazed” back onto national park property.  Unfortunately, many more are also hunted and/or slaughtered to cull the bison population and to reduce the “threat” of brucellosis spreading to domestic cattle. 

Brucellosis is a disease, though not considered fatal, that causes aborted pregnancies and other health problems among bison and domestic cattle.  While both species of animals have carried the disease, not a single case of bison-to-cattle infection has been documented.  Supporters of bison protection argue that given this fact, killing bison to reduce the possibility of brucellosis spreading to cattle is inhumane, unethical, and wasteful.  They further argue that the National Park Service should be working to protect the bison, not the interests of the cattle industry.

Thankfully, several management plans to help protect bison and cattle are in place, and are expanding.  Efforts include vaccinating domestic cattle against brucellosis and increasing the grazing area in which bison may freely roam throughout the year.

NHES opposes the annual bison slaughter as we believe the current evidence points to unfounded and arbitrary killing of sentient beings whom represent some of our nation’s most valued natural heritage.  We will continue to advocate the National Park Service and other agencies involved in the bison’s supervision to end the annual slaughter and continue working towards humane and viable management practices for the Yellowstone bison.

Resources:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/04/26/bison.slaughter/    

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/mar2008/2008-03-04-095.asp

http://mt.gov/liv/animalhealth/diseases/brucellosis/bison/summary.asp

http://www.nrdc.org/land/parks/pbuffalo.asp