| 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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