| BFC Buffalo Field Campaign
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| Letter
to the Editor by Monica RavenHeart
Livingston Enterprise
3/27/06 |
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Letter
to the editor:
Last weekend my family and I went to Yellowstone Park, as we
do every chance we get. As I drove through the first seven miles,
past Mammoth and over the bridge, ! began to feel a very
noticable emptiness and a deep sadness. Tears came to my eyes
as I realized that the buffalo cow/calf herds we had come to
know, were no longer there. They were dead. They had been slaughtered
for instinctually taking their young to lower elevations, away
from the deep snow, so they could eat and survive the winter.
When we had been to Yellowstone a couple of months ago, I'd
watched a cow/calf herd moving down through the pine trees,
single file, babies in the middle.
We'd stopped to view them, and I remembered a little one slip-sliding
on the icy trail; that image is etched in my mind. And now they
are gone, and it hurts my heart to think of how senselessly
and cruelly they were killed. The bulk of our trip was spent
driving to Lamar Valley and back because the snow was too deep
to hike anywhere. As we got deeper into the park we had to go
very slow or stop because numerous groups of buffalo, some with
ribs showing, were grazing the sides of the road. There they
could find grass and not have to expend so much of the energy
needed to withstand the cold. What fascinatingly beautiful,
intelligent animals they are. What heritage they hold in their
primitive genes. What a sorry, inexcusable bunch we are
to allow their fate to be mass slaughter for following what
is instinctual common sense-- survival.
I have made myself watch the video footage (on the buffalofieldcampaign.org
website) to really know what was, and still is, happening to
the last wild, free-roaming bison herds of Yellowstone Park.
(I encourage anyone who has anything to say about this
letter and this issue to first have a look for
yourself.) I wanted to know the truth, see it with my own
eyes, before I could speak out about it. The overzealous, cowboy-style
hazing, the brutal bullying in the capture facilities, and the
sad moments as the buffalo were packed tight into trailers and
trucks and driven away from their homeland, made me sick. It
made me angry, and it made me want to say. "NO. this is
not right and it cannot continue this way!". It made me
internalize the insensitivity of our culture, and look deeper
into how we can better ourselves as a nation.
This mad practice of mass slaughter and animal cruelty by park,
state and Department of Livestock officials began ten years
ago, with a mass slaughter of over 1,000 buffalo (most of the
animals shot where they stood). This year the madness began,
again, in January. Now it is March, and 960some buffalo have
been killed by slaughter, without ever being tested for the
dreaded brucellosis. Governor Schweitzer is talking about changing
the state's bison management plan. It is hopeful that he is
talking change, however, it is pitiful that there is never mention
of stopping the physically cruel methods practiced on the buffalo
herds, or any recognition of the outrageous hazing tactics these
animals suffer. The verbiage is always about money. "Montana
gets to keep it's bruellosis-free status", which is big
money for the cattleman; if they "buy cattle grazing
rights it will save big money". What's wrong with recognizing
and outwardly admitting, that the buffalo are important animals
to our ecosystem, they deserve our protection and stewardship,
and, we want to take care of them, too? Yellowstone Park
tourism is big money also, and I would think that Montana's
poor treatment of their protected wildlife would make a lot
of people around the world boycott the north and west entrances
to Yellowstone. There are a lot of people that don't eat beef
and even more that don't believe cruelty to animals is anyone's
puragitive, let alone a whole state's. It really is high time
that the livestock industry be relieved of it's dominian over
our governor's office and this state's ideals. Sure, most
of the land in this state, including precious wilderness, is
given to cattle to ruin, but there are a lot of human beings
that live here, and come here to utilize our state's natural
resources; people that don't agree with this state's practices.
THE LAST BEST PLACE is just another pawn controlled by big money.
Greed has been around since dust. Is anyone else ready for a
better way for all of us?
Brucelosis is a fear-based campaign and its use in this bison
issue is tired. It's obvious that there is much more to the
story that no one seems to want to share with the public. Brucelosis
aborts only the first calf and becomes and antibody in the animal's
system. It is only transmitted by the ingestion of birthing
matter. Many bovine calves regularly die of natural causes each
year regardless of the existence or non-existence of brucelosis.
Brucelosis is a cattle-born disease by introduction and is harbored
in many different animals. Why is this instigated fear of bison/cow
brucelosis transfer the big scare, but not elk/cow transfer,
like the one that took the brucelosis-free status away from
Idaho? On our way home from our recent trip to the park, we
saw thousands (no exaggeration), of elk from the north side
of Yankee Jim Canyon, past Dome Mountain Lodge, and grazing
in hay fields and cow pastures on the left side of Highway 89
heading toward Emigrant. Why the ongoing prejudice against just
buffalo?
I am taking the time to express these thoughts publicly because I
am more than ready to hear the truth of this issue; the substantial
reasons behind the dispute, not the smoke screen of brucelosis
and the rights of cattle. I strongly advocate for a total and
complete solution to the bison migration issue. I commend Governor
Schweitzer for finally speaking up toward making a change in
the current bison management. But his proposal has many loopholes,
and the entity to suffer most as we test the waters of the grazing
buy-out, will continue to be the wild buffalo.
I propose a mediation meeting of all agencies involved, to include:
the governor, Department of livestock, the National Park Service,
Church Universal and Triumphant, private land owners, Buffalo
Field Campaign, Native American Tribal Council representatives
and anyone else who has an opinion for solution. I propose the
attainment of a non-biased mediator/communications specialist.
Someone who will give structure and fairness to all concerns
in a round table fashion, and help all involved to reach
a viable, sustainable, and compassionate solution that satisfies
the needs of man and buffalo alike. A solution does exist, and I
challenge everyone mentioned above to bring it
to light, together.
If we can reach a solution by working together over the issue
of wild buffalo migration,
imagine how we can set the stage for solving many of the controversial
issues that keep us in separation. Montana could be a state
known for its integrity, a solution-oriented model for unified
fairness and cooperation for the good of all. All along we've
viewed our wildlife and domestic animals as something to be
managed and controlled, but look beyond our views for a moment,
and you will see that animals are not ours to be eaten, beaten,
captured and caged--they are, in fact, our greatest teachers,
mirrors for how we manage and control ourselves. These are not
just buffalo; these beings are our vehicle for transformation.
We should be grateful for, and utilize, this grand opportunity
to effect great change. Imagine for one moment, if
what I've said here is true...
Monica RavenHeart
Livingston, MT |
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