Copyright © 2001 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

The Montana Department of Livestock (DoL) ran newborn bison calves several miles in an attempt today to haze nearly two hundred bison from the Horse Butte peninsula. In a ruthless display of their disregard for the bisons welfare, the DoL hazed a herd which included pregnant cows, and calves no more than three days old, their umbilical cords still visible. The calves were witnessed falling and hardly able to keep up with the steady, fast pace over rough terrain. By the end of the haze, one of the calves had a severe limp and was exhausted. DoL was forced to abandon the operation at 3:30pm due to the fact that they were already in violation of eagle protection regulations. "Today, the DoL successfully managed to trespass and anger locals, injure and exhaust newborn calves, put pregnant cows at high risk of aborting, and disturb sensitive Bald Eagle habitat, just to move a group of bison who ended the day five miles out of the park boundary." Stated Pete Thorson, an observer of the days events.

The haze was one in a series of poorly considered, futile efforts to control the age-old migration of bison to their spring birthing grounds on National Forest land. DoL efforts have intensified in the past two weeks in response to a wave of bison migrating out of Yellowstone National Park. DoL has hazed nearly every day, repeatedly pushing hundreds of bison back across the park boundary. Yet, in an almost comical illustration of the irrelevance of political boundaries in wildlife patterns, the bison persistently slip back over the boundary into national forest land, and proceed on their spring migration to Horse Butte. As DoLs frustration grows, the abuse of the bison worsens. BFC volunteer Pete Thorson commented, "I've watched bison being hazed by Sheriff's jeeps and Highway patrol cars chasing them with blaring sirens, DoL agents on ATVs shouting and honking, wantonly shooting cracker rounds (which are intended to be shot in the air yet are most often fired directly at the herd of animals), and Park Service agents charging blindly through the woods on horseback. Yet often, no more than thirty minutes after the hazing efforts leave the bison behind the park boundary and local wildlife in disarray, the bison are right back where they were before, grazing and making their way to the Butte."

The DoL appears to have lost control of the situation, even by the standards of their own management plan. There have consistently been over one hundred buffalo out of the park all week, despite the constant harassment. The presence of bison out of the park poses no proven risk to cattle that will not be moved to the Butte for two more months.

Each hazing operation places pregnant females at a high risk for abortion, causes incredible stress for the newborns, and disrupts crucial migratory and sensitive reproductive patterns of all wildlife. Therefore BFC has reason to fear the likelihood of mortality caused by the DoL hazing. In addition, BFC fears that the inevitable failure of these hazing attempts will trigger shooting in the field as prescribed for bison that do not respond to hazing. The DoL management plan calls for all bison to be back in the park by May 15th.

The Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC) is the only group working in the field, everyday, to stop the slaughter of Yellowstone's wild bison. Volunteers defend the bison on their traditional winter habitat and advocate for their protection. Our daily patrols stand with the bison on the ground they choose to be on and document every move made against them.

Pete Leusch and Meghan Gill can be contacted by phone, 406-646-0070.