May 13, 2009
On Friday May 15, government agents will begin hazing bison, better known as buffalo, off U.S. Forest Service land on the west side of Yellowstone National Park in Montana, called Horse Butte.
The Yellowstone bison herd has about 3,000 animals. It is the only free-roaming, continuously wild herd in North America.
In the spring, many of the bison leave Yellowstone for lower elevations in Montana where there is less snow, such as Horse Butte, which has more food at this time of year and is a breeding ground for bison.
Five government agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service, regulate the Horse Butte region and do not allow the bison to remain in these areas after May 15.
In past years, a helicopter is flown low to scare the wild bison out of the woods. Then government employees herd the bison on ATVs and horses back to Yellowstone Park. Because of the lack of rest time during the herding, some newborn calves collapse and die before reaching the interior of the park.
The agencies that comprise the Interagency Bison Management Plan justify this deadline of May 15 out of fear that wild bison might spread brucellosis to domestic cattle in Montana. However, there has never been a documented case of transmission of brucellosis between wild bison and cattle.
There are no domestic cows on Horse Butte, so it is being argued by wildlife protection groups, such as the Natural Resources Defense Council that there is no danger posed by the bison, and their removal is an unnecessary hazard.
To voice your opinion on this issue, you can contact the U.S. Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack directly or through the Natural Resources Defense Council Save BioGems website: www.savebiogems.org/buffalo.
On Friday May 15, government agents will begin hazing bison, better known as buffalo, off U.S. Forest Service land on the west side of Yellowstone National Park in Montana, called Horse Butte.
The Yellowstone bison herd has about 3,000 animals. It is the only free-roaming, continuously wild herd in North America.
In the spring, many of the bison leave Yellowstone for lower elevations in Montana where there is less snow, such as Horse Butte, which has more food at this time of year and is a breeding ground for bison.
Five government agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service, regulate the Horse Butte region and do not allow the bison to remain in these areas after May 15.
In past years, a helicopter is flown low to scare the wild bison out of the woods. Then government employees herd the bison on ATVs and horses back to Yellowstone Park. Because of the lack of rest time during the herding, some newborn calves collapse and die before reaching the interior of the park.
The agencies that comprise the Interagency Bison Management Plan justify this deadline of May 15 out of fear that wild bison might spread brucellosis to domestic cattle in Montana. However, there has never been a documented case of transmission of brucellosis between wild bison and cattle.
There are no domestic cows on Horse Butte, so it is being argued by wildlife protection groups, such as the Natural Resources Defense Council that there is no danger posed by the bison, and their removal is an unnecessary hazard.
To voice your opinion on this issue, you can contact the U.S. Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack directly or through the Natural Resources Defense Council Save BioGems website: www.savebiogems.org/buffalo.
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