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A28 SCIENCE
Saturday 4 February 2017

APNewsBreak: Deal allows Yellowstone bison slaughter

MATTHEW BROWN for a year for disease moni- were captured several
Associated Press toring at a federal quar- years ago for use in animal
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A antine facility just north of birth control experiments.
deal disclosed Thursday will the park in Corwin Springs. State officials had said ear-
allow the mass slaughter of They will later be relocated lier they would be slaugh-
hundreds of wild bison mi- to Fort Peck Reservation, tered to make way for the
grating from Yellowstone home of the Assiniboine 25 spared bulls. But Bullock
National Park, while spar- and Sioux tribes. told Wenk that federal and
ing 25 animals that Ameri- Yellowstone spokeswoman state officials have agreed
can Indian tribes want to Jody Lyle said the deal with to further discussions on re-
start new herds. the state and Agriculture locating the animals to Fort
The Associated Press ob- Department marked a first Peck.
tained details on the deal step toward a long-term So far this winter, hunters
between Montana, the program to use some dis- have shot more than 300
park and the U.S. Depart- ease-free bison for conser- bison as they left the park
ment of Agriculture prior to This March 9, 2016 photo shows a bison from Yellowstone National vation instead of sending
its public disclosure. Park being held for shipment to slaughter near Gardiner, Mont. them to slaughter. seeking food at lower el-
It resulted from two weeks Associated Press Under public pressure, Yel- evations in Montana, ac-
of intensive negotiations lowstone administrators last cording to state wildlife of-
and removes a political dent Dan Wenk that out- said what’s needed is to year proposed relocating ficials.
obstacle for the park after lined the agreement to repeal a law that places about 40 animals captured Cold, snowy conditions are
Montana Gov. Steve Bull- spare the 25 bison. wild bison under the au- during their migration to expected to prompt more
ock on Jan. 19 temporar- “My intent in invoking the thority of the Montana live- Fort Peck, which is already bison to leave Yellowstone
ily blocked Yellowstone’s (ban) was to prevent the stock department instead home to a small herd of in coming days as foraging
plan to kill up to 1,300 of slaughter of these bison of its wildlife agency. park bison. becomes more difficult.
Yellowstone’s 5,500 bison and preserve them for “Stop the slaughter, let When Montana livestock About 400 migrating bison
this winter. transport to Fort Peck (In- them roam and manage officials objected to the have been captured near
The terms are likely to dian Reservation),” Bullock them just like we do with transfer because of disease the Yellowstone bound-
dampen public outcry by wrote. “The parties have elk, just like we do with concerns, park officials said ary and are being held for
averting slaughter for most committed that these ani- deer, just like we do with they would kill the animals, shipment to slaughter. Ship-
of a small group of bison mals will be quarantined other wildlife,” Seay said. prompting Bullock to in- ments will begin as soon
that had been earmarked and safeguarded until they Park officials say they voke the ban on slaughters. as the park can make ar-
for a conservation effort in- are ready for shipment.” have little choice under The 40 bison had tested rangements, Lyle said.
tended at establishing new Wildlife advocates fierce- a 16-year-old program negative for brucellosis Meat from slaughtered ani-
herds elsewhere. ly oppose the periodic intended to curb the ani- multiple times since they mals is distributed to Ameri-
Bullock lifted the slaughter slaughters of Yellowstone’s mals’ annual migration into were captured last winter. can Indian tribes across the
ban in a Thursday letter to world-famous bison herds. Montana to prevent trans- But because the animals region.
Yellowstone Superinten- Stephany Seay with the mitting the disease brucel- potentially were exposed No transmissions of brucel-
Buffalo Field Campaign losis to cattle. to diseased bison while be-
Brucellosis can cause preg- ing held in pens along the losis from wild bison to live-
nant animals to abort their park boundary, the 15 fe- stock have been recorded,
young. It was brought to males from the group will according to research-
North America by the in- be slaughtered and only ers and livestock officials.
fected livestock of early the males will be spared, That’s in part because
settlers and has since been Montana state veterinarian more than 5,000 bison were
eradicated nationwide ex- Marty Zaluski said. killed or captured trying to
cept in Yellowstone-area The fate of about 20 bison leave the park since 1985.
wildlife, including bison already at the small town A state-federal agreement
and elk. of Corwin Springs in Mon- signed in 2000 set a popu-
The 25 bull bison saved tana north of Yellowstone lation goal of 3,000 bison in
from slaughter will be kept is uncertain. The animals the park.q