| Yellowstone Bison Slaughter
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| News
Article 5/17/06 |
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| DOL
bison hazing in full swing near park's western
edge
By Scott McMillion, Bozeman Daily Chronicle
5/17/06 |
The
annual bison hazing season is in full swing in the
West Yellowstone area.
It started around the first of May,
and the Montana Department of Livestock has chased hundreds
of bison, including some newborn calves, back into Yellowstone
National Park.
DOL had hazed 792 animals as of last
Thursday, according to the agency's Web site, although
that total likely includes animals that were hazed more
than once.
Operations had fired up again on Monday,
according to the Buffalo Field Campaign, a bison advocacy
group based in West Yellowstone.
It said DOL officials and others used
horses, ATVs, trucks and a helicopter to chase the bison.
BFC said the actions "infuriated"
area residents, some of whom enjoy having bison on
their property.
Hazing usually picks up at this time
of year, when green grass begins to emerge and provide
food for the bison. Bison typically cross the park's
western border in the spring, seeking food, because greenup
occurs outside the park a little earlier.
DOL operates under a state/federal bisonmanagement
plan, which calls for all bison to be removed from
the area well in advance of the return of cattle to privately
owned grazing land in the area.
The beef industry fears bison will
transmit brucellosis to cattle, even though that
has never occurred in field conditions.
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