Copyright © 2001 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

West Yellowstone, MT - Two beloved buffalo were sent to the slaughterhouse this morning, Thursday, December 6, after testing positive for antibodies to brucellosis. According to the State of Montana, the bison were tested with three field tests that all detect the presence of antibodies, not an infection! APHIS, the agency in charge of managing the Brucella abortis organism admits that the tests used are not 100% effective, and that bulls pose little or no threat of transmitting the disease.

Six Montana Department of Livestock (MDOL) agents called on three Sheriffs, two Highway Patrolmen, a Fish Wildlife and Parks agent and National Park Service rangers to assist them in the capture/hazing operation. They used ATVs, snowmobiles and horses for the round up. During the hazing, they jackknifed their trucks, posed public safety threats and temporarily blocked access to a housing division. Because of severe weather conditions - seven other buffalo were saved from the same plight.

One of the Bison captured was less than a mile from the Park boundary. The other was a bull on National Forest land whom the DOL refer to as Bob-short for bobtail because he has the distinguishing mark of no tail. This bull was captured and tested negative for brucellosis repeatedly in the past three years. Head of MDOL operations, Rob Tierney, expressed awareness of this fact but chose to capture him anyway. It is hard to believe that this bull has "caught" the disease since the last time he was tested. One cause listed by the Montana Department of Livestock for a seroconversion is stress. This could be caused when the buffalo leave the invisible Yellowstone Park boundaries on traditional migration routes in search of food and are repeatedly chased by the Montana Department of Livestock. These actions are definitely a stress on these animals that they do not need. Brucellosis, a reproductive disease, is transmitted through afterbirth or an aborted fetus. To contract brucellosis, a cow would have to eat infected afterbirth or contaminated grass. Besides the fact that there are no cattle present, the bison slaughtered today were bulls - unable to transmit the disease.

The level of intolerance towards bison is rapidly beginning to mirror what it was five years ago when 1,083 bison were killed in one winter. During that killing season, tissue analysis revealed that a large percentage of Yellowstone buffalo slaughtered actually did not have the disease and were needlessly killed. That year, lab results from the Ames, Iowa Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed, through a battery of tissue tests, that many of the slaughtered buffalo were actually "culture negative."

The new annual budget for bison "management" allotted to MDOL, alone, is over one million in taxpayer dollars (source: MDOL FISCAL YEAR 2002 BISON BUDGET). "The operation today not only reflects flagrant intolerance for the bison and disrespect for the entire ecosystem, but a tremendous waste of resources," states BFC volunteer, Meghan Gill.

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

Mike Mease can be contacted by phone: 406-646-0070 or e-mail: buffalo@wildrockies.org.