Copyright © 2002 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

I write these words from the first quiet since Monday. Sleep has been rare as we've maintained around-the-clock patrols for the past two days, our busiest in years. Many of the volunteers are physically and spiritually exhausted, having witnessed the capture of 13 bull bison, ten of which were killed. We've come to know these animals as individuals through months of daily patrols in their presence.

Last Thursday, January third, spirits were high around the cabin as the Department of Livestock (DOL), unable to capture a single buffalo, left town for the week. We sat together for dinner and our nightly meeting, sharing stories from the day and laughing at the ability of the buffalo to outsmart the DOL agents and avoid capture.

This week was different as the agents returned Monday night, intent on killing as many buffalo as they could. On Tuesday we rose, as we do every day, well before the sun and went out on skis to locate members of the herd. Mike and Ken--my patrol partners--stood with me by the cattle guard at Horse Butte, ready to photograph and videotape should the agents succeed in hazing buffalo to the trap. Several law enforcement agents from the Gallatin County Sheriff's Department, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Montana Highway Patrol informed us that we would be arrested if we crossed the cattle guard that separated us from the land where the bison trap stands.

At 8:30 am seven agents on seven snowmobiles approached from the east, harrying one exhausted bull toward the trap. On the final approach to the outer corral, the bull ducked off the trail and we cheered, but the deep snow was too much for the tired buffalo, and he limped back onto the trail in front of the swarm of snowmobiles. The agents were relentless and they lunged their machines at him, frightening him the final hundred yards into the trap.

The snowmobiles quickly left and headed east along the Madison River, looking for more bison. An hour later four more bison, tongue-hanging tired from the four mile run from Houdini Meadow (named for a bull that had a magical way of disappearing from the DOL during the winter of 1999-2000) were marched past us by the same seven agents. Before the day was done another lone bull was captured, bringing the day's total to six. All six were later slaughtered.

Wednesday I was in the office, manning radios, answering the phone, and working on press. The early reports from the field were not good. The Duck Creek patrol reported in at 8:30: "We have a helicopter landing at DOL headquarters and more than 15 agents and law enforcement officers." From there things only went downhill as the helicopter soon took to the air and a pack of eight agents sped off on snowmobiles to find bison. The chopper was relentless, flying directly over neighborhoods, National Forest lands, and even Yellowstone Park. While bison are sometimes able to hide in heavy timber from the agents on snowmobile, the chopper is a different matter. Flying just above the treetops in a sweeping pattern that drives all the wildlife from cover, the helicopter is very effective at rounding up bison. Morning Madison River patrol observed a family of moose and a small herd of elk in a stand of trees moments before the chopper arrived. We haven't seen them since.

The agents scoured the area, making repeated sweeps of the Horse Butte Peninsula and flushing bison that the snowmobiles then herded to the trap. By day's end seven more were confined within the trap, bringing the two-day total to thirteen. Six were taken to the slaughterhouse on Tuesday night and four are on their way as I write this update. Three bison were tagged, shaved, and released this morning on Horse Butte.

A salve for our grief has come from the nightly vigils we've held near the trap at Duck Creek, where the animals were confined overnight. We walked out with candles and drums to stand in a circle around a fire and make our presence known to the buffalo. Our songs and drumbeats carried across the creek, closing the distance to the trap. While our circle couldn't keep the captive buffalo from being slaughtered, we know they felt our presence during their final night of life. We are grateful to them for the lessons they left us and we know that they gave their lives so their ancestors may one day be truly free.

A heart-felt thanks goes out to each and every one of you for taking the time to read our updates and for your continued and unfailing support of our efforts on behalf of America's only continuously free-ranging bison population. From care-packages of cookies and hot cocoa to winter-gear donations and financial contributions to the Campaign your support allows us to maintain our daily patrols. Thank you.

We are currently developing our website, to post photos instantaneously from the field. Until it is ready please visit the following url to view photos from the past few days.

For the Buffalo,

Dan Brister, Media Office
Buffalo Field Campaign
P.O. Box 957
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
E-mail: bfc-media@wildrockies.org

The Montana Department of Livestock (DOL) claims it is slaughtering the Yellowstone bison because they carry brucellosis. This claim rings hollow in light of a few facts:

There has never been a documented transmission of brucellosis from wild bison to livestock. Even if buffalo were capable of spreading the disease, there are no cattle on these lands from mid-October to mid-June, making brucellosis transmission impossible. All bison captured and slaughtered this winter have been bulls, which are incapable of transmitting the disease.

The ten bull bison slaughtered this week tested positive for brucellosis antibodies, not infection. Because bison are known to build natural resistance to brucellosis, these animals may actually be the strongest, healthiest animals of the herd. The overwhelming majority of bison slaughtered according to these test results don't actually carry the disease. Most bison that test positive at the capture facility test negative under the more accurate post-slaughter necropsy.

The DOL is using a new methodology for detecting antibodies to brucellosis in wild bison called the Fluorescent Polarization Assay (FPA). This testing method involves the use of antigens tagged with a fluorescent material which detect IgG (immunoglobulin G) type antibodies to brucellosis and bind with them. Binding between the antibody and the tagged antigen results in an increase in polarization which is detected by the analyzer and reported as a quantitative result. This result is interpreted as positive or negative based on certain cut-off values. Studies have established that the specificity and sensitivity of this test were found to be much higher when compared to Particle Concentration Fluorescence Immunoassay and the CARD test (Nielsen et al 1998). However, in spite of the advanced technology of this testing method it is only capable of detecting IgG (long term immunity) antibodies, not the presence of brucella organisms. The major advantage of FPA over the Card test is that it will detect a quantitative level of antibodies, which may or may not directly correlate to the presence of an infection, whereas the Card test simply detects the qualitative presence or absence of antibodies.

Although the DOL has finally begun using advanced technology to detect brucellosis antibodies in wild bison, they are still unable to correlate their test results to prove actual infection. Culture of tissues from slaughtered bison are no longer being done to confirm their testing results. In spite of these facts, DOL continues to use the results of both the FPA and the Card test to send low risk bison (i.e. bulls) to slaughter. Even if only the Card test is positive and the more specific FPA is negative, a buffalo will be sent to slaughter. Why is DOL spending thousands of tax payer's dollars on new technology if it will not be properly utilized and potentially save uninfected bison from needless slaughter?

Sources:
Nielsen, K., Gall, D., Lin, M., Massangill, C., Samartino, L., Perez, B., Coats, M., Hennager, S., Dajer, A., Nicoletti, P., Thomas, F. 1998. Diagnosis of bovine brucellosis using a homogeneous fluorescence polarization assay. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology. 66(1998) 321-329.
Perkin/Elmer Life Sciences, web site. Accessed 01/10/02.
Lumigen web site. Accessed 01/10/02.
USAHA web site information from 1997.

BFC is the only group in the field 365 days a year with the last free roaming buffalo. Donations are tax deductible and go directly to front lines work. BFC is the only group in the field 365 days a year with the last free roaming buffalo.