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Update from the Field
Buffalo Supporters,
This week has been dire for the Yellowstone buffalo.
The Park Service captured 157 wild buffalo early this
week. Over the last three days, the Park Service and
Department of Livestock (DOL) have shipped 113 of those
buffalo to slaughter. After filling the holding pens
of the Stephens Creek trap to capacity, they have stopped
testing captured buffalo for brucellosis exposure before
sending them to slaughter. This includes the last 50
buffalo that are on their way to slaughter today without
being tested.
The numbers for this season are appalling. At Stephens
Creek alone, the Park Service captured 464 wild buffalo
in the past month. They have killed 267 buffalo. There
are 198 buffalo being held in captivity, 113 of them
are yearlings that have been vaccinated with an ineffective
cattle vaccine. The Park Service is domesticating this
unique herd, destroying the wild quality that makes
them a national treasure.
Our volunteers have documented numerous injuries sustained
by captive buffalo. Buffalo held in unnatural confinement
have gored each other repeatedly. Yesterday a buffalo
died in captivity, another reminder of the cruelty involved
in holding wild buffalo captive. Buffalo being processed
at Stephens Creek have been subjected to gruesome sampling
procedures, held in place by head clamps with noses
pinched by metal rings. It is a cruel and bloody sight.
And it is being carried out with your tax dollars by
Park Service employees responsible for preserving this
last herd of wild buffalo in America.
Our volunteers report that the last 8 buffalo that had
been grazing near Stephens Creek have moved further
into the park. For now, it seems that there are no buffalo
left to kill in the area.
There is some good news to report from the Buffalo Summit
in Washington, DC. You can read about these encouraging
efforts below.
There is a calm early spring quiet on the western boundary
of Yellowstone. The weather is warming and only a few
buffalo roam outside the park. They have been mostly
left alone by the DOL. Of course, the DOL has been busy
in Gardiner hauling buffalo to slaughter. And in a few
weeks we expect the start of the spring migration that
will likely bring hundreds of buffalo out of the park
on their way to Horse Butte to calve. This migration
will also bring the buffalo to the Horse Butte trap
where they can easily be captured and sent to slaughter.
In this update you will find more current news about
the slaughter of the Yellowstone buffalo along with
actions you can take on behalf of the buffalo. Thank
you for your continued support. We still have a few
busy months if you can join us as a volunteer. We also
always appreciate your donations to keep us in the field.
And if you haven't done so yet, please contact your
Congressional Representative to ask them to support
the Yellowstone Buffalo Preservation Act. Together we
will stop the slaughter of the last wild buffalo in
America.
For the buffalo,
Ted Fellman
BFC Media
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* Park Service Slaughters 267 Wild Buffalo Inside
Yellowstone;
Domesticates Another 198 Captive Wild Buffalo
For Immediate Release: March 19, 2004
Gardiner, MT - The National Park Service (NPS) will
send another 50 wild buffalo to slaughter today, bringing
the total number of buffalo killed in the past month
on the northern boundary of Yellowstone National Park
to 267. These last 50 buffalo were not tested for exposure
to brucellosis. Last March the Park Service killed 231
wild Yellowstone buffalo without testing for exposure
to brucellosis. There has never been a documented case
of brucellosis transmission from wild buffalo to livestock.
Currently 198 buffalo are being held at the Stephens
Creek trap, 113 of them are yearlings that have been
vaccinated with an ineffective cattle vaccine. Peer
reviewed scientific studies have concluded that RB51
offers no significant protection for brucellosis to
bison. The Park Service has indicated that no more buffalo
can be held in the trap until later this spring. Any
additional buffalo captured this year will be shipped
to slaughter without being tested for exposure to brucellosis.
One buffalo died in the Stephens Creek trap while being
held for slaughter. The Park Service is investigating
the causes. "The accidental death of a captive
buffalo at Stephens Creek raises some serious concerns
about holding wild buffalo captive until spring,"
noted Ted Fellman of the Montana-based Buffalo Field
Campaign (BFC). "BFC volunteers have already documented
numerous injuries from goring. This death is another
reminder of what happens when wild buffalo are held
in unnatural confinement."
"Buffalo slaughter is becoming an almost daily
routine in Yellowstone," said Dan Brister of the
BFC. "With rangers luring buffalo into traps with
trails of hay, handing them over to stock inspectors
who ship them to slaughter, and inoculating them with
cattle vaccines and ear tagging them, we should start
calling it Yellowstone National Ranch."
Yellowstone is the only place in America continuously
occupied by native buffalo. The park provided sanctuary
to 23 individuals that survived the 19th century near
extinction. The Yellowstone herd is the largest remaining
population of genetically pure bison. Slaughtering bison
is in direct contradiction with the Park Service's mandate
to protect park resources unimpaired for future generations.
"The National Park Service's mission includes conserving
wildlife, yet they have systematically harassed, captured,
vaccinated, confined, slaughtered, and shot members
of the Yellowstone buffalo herd over the past month,"
remarked BFC coordinator Ted Fellman. "Captured
buffalo are subjected to gruesome testing procedures,
held in place by head clamps with noses pinched by metal
rings. It is a cruel and bloody sight. And it is being
carried out with our tax dollars by Park Service employees
responsible for preserving this last herd of wild buffalo
in America. They are domesticating this unique herd,
destroying the wild quality that makes them a national
treasure."
According to a press release issued by the park, the
current slaughter is designed to keep buffalo "away
from cattle grazing adjacent to the park." The
closest livestock are located on the Royal Teton Ranch
(RTR), whose owners received more than 13 million tax
dollars in 1998 for land and conservation easements
intended to provide winter range for native buffalo.
Earlier this week, a local game warden hazed two buffalo
on foot from near the Royal Teton Ranch. Although Randy
Wuertz works for the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks,
he also has about 25 head of cattle on RTR land. At
least 170 cows continue to graze there, while wild buffalo
are slaughtered to protect them.
"It's a conflict of interest to have a local game
warden hazing native buffalo to protect his own cattle
grazing on land that should be designated winter range,"
said Mike Mease of the BFC. "They are hazing buffalo
right to the trap where they are being conditioned by
all the hay that is left there as bait. Wild buffalo
are being managed to death."
In the past ten years the Montana Department of Livestock
(DOL) and NPS have slaughtered 2,786 buffalo in and
around Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone buffalo
slaughter is slated to cost taxpayers nearly $3 million
a year until 2015.
The slaughter has prompted members of Congress to introduce
the Yellowstone Buffalo Preservation Act (H.R. 3446),
which will place a three-year ban on the capture and
slaughter of Yellowstone buffalo, dismantle the Stephens
Creek trap, and allow buffalo access to historic public
lands habitat immediately adjacent to the park. It has
more than 80 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives.
The Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC) is the only 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.
Daily patrols stand with the buffalo on the ground they
choose to be on and document every move made against
them.
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* BFC Roams to Washington, DC for the Yellowstone
Buffalo
The Buffalo Field Campaign sent a patrol to Washington,
DC this week to rally support for the buffalo protection
bill currently in Congress and to meet and share information
with local allies and supporters.
On Tuesday, March 16, BFC sponsored a Buffalo Summit
on Capitol Hill, sharing recent video footage, stories
from the field, and information on the Yellowstone Buffalo
Preservation Act with staffers from 15 Congressional
Offices.
Between Monday and Thursday we met with the offices
of 25 U.S. Representatives to educate them about the
history and current status of the Yellowstone buffalo
and to urge them to support H.R. 3446, the Yellowstone
Buffalo Preservation Act. Since we've been here, six
additional Representatives have co-sponsored the bill
and more are expected to sign on in the coming days.
This bipartisan legislation is gaining momentum quickly
and currently enjoys 80 co-sponsors.
Last night we gave a public presentation at the Georgetown
Patagonia Store, premiering video footage shot in the
past three weeks in and around the Stephens Creek buffalo
trap in Yellowstone National Park. We discussed the
history and importance of the Yellowstone herd, current
threats faced by the herd, debunked the brucellosis
myth, and provided participants with a host of tools
they can use to help protect the buffalo.
Thanks to Dr. Paul Nicoletti of the University of Florida
and Dr. Andrew Dobson of Princeton University for sharing
their scientific expertise at the Summit, in meetings,
and through the statements they generously provided
for the information packets we presented to Congressional
offices. The current buffalo slaughter is not supported
by sound science, and these two experts in the field
made this clear.
Thanks to The Fund for Animals, The Humane Society of
the United States, The National Parks Conservation Association,
and The Wilderness Society for helping with meetings,
materials, support, and financial assistance in bringing
Dr.'s Nicoletti and Dobson to Washington and helping
to make our week so successful.
One thing that was made clear during our week of meetings
is the power of Congressional constituents. Our most
successful meetings were those in the offices of Representatives
who have been hearing about the buffalo from people
living in their districts. Please take a moment to see
if your Representative is signed on to HR 3446 and if
they are not, write them a letter urging them to support
the Yellowstone Buffalo Preservation Act. You can find
all the information at: http://www.wildrockies.org/buffalo/politico/3446.html.
Thanks to all of you who are taking action to protect
the herd. The days of the Montana livestock industry's
domination over the last wild buffalo are numbered.
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* People to Contact for the Buffalo
"The number of bison killed by Yellowstone National
Park officials this winter is more than double the number
of cattle living within 10 miles of the park."
That was the lead sentence in a front page article of
the Bozeman Chronicle yesterday.
As noted in our press release above, much of the pressure
to kill buffalo on the northern boundary arises from
the presence of about 170 cows grazing on the Royal
Teton Ranch (RTR) north of Gardiner. The owners of the
RTR, the Church Universal and Triumphant (CUT) received
more than 13 million tax dollars in 1998 for land and
conservation easements intended to provide winter range
for native buffalo.
Earlier this week, a local game warden hazed two buffalo
on foot from near the Royal Teton Ranch. Although Randy
Wuertz works for the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks,
he also has about 25 head of cattle on RTR land. Conflict
of interest perhaps?
Give Sam Sheppard of the Montana Department of Fish,
Wildlife, and Parks a call at (406) 994 3540 and let
him know that you don't think that game wardens should
be hazing buffalo on the job to protect their private
interests.
Meanwhile the US Forest Service is claiming that the
land transactions and conservation easements are a success
because they have acquired and protected critical wildlife
habitat. Never mind that wild buffalo aren't allowed
access to that habitat because they are captured and
sent to slaughter before even leaving Yellowstone National
Park. It is clear that until the Interagency Bison Management
Plan is revised, efforts to provide habitat are meaningless.
Contact Rebecca Heath, Gallatin National Forest Supervisor,
to ask that the Forest Service act on the "flexibility"
in bison management that was one of the goals of their
$13 million deal with the CUT. Demand that the Forest
Service takes action to revise the Interagency Bison
Management Plan so that wild buffalo are allowed to
roam free on our national forests. Rebecca can be reached
at (406) 587 6701 or mailroom_r1_gallatin@fs.fed.us.
And if you want to let the Park Service know what you
think of them abdicating their responsibility to conserve
wildlife by killing 267 native buffalo, here's the contact
information.
Suzanne Lewis
Superintendent
Yellowstone National Park
PO Box 168
Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190
(307) 344-2002
yell_superintendent@nps.gov
suzanne_lewis@nps.gov
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* Last Words
Deed of Conservation Easement, Royal Teton Ranch -
Devil's Slide Area August 30, 1999
"Whereas, there exists now, and for some time in
the future, a need to preserve and protect the surviving
indigenous North American bison herd, elk herd, and
other wildlife of Yellowstone National Park, the survival
of which it appears is based on the need to allow the
free and unhampered migration of these animals outside
the boundary of the Park: and
Whereas, the Grantor finds itself in a unique position
to aid and assist in the preservation of the Yellowstone
National Park bison and other wildlife by setting aside
a portion of its lands, in perpetuity, thereby providing
in the natural world, a safe have for the bison; and
Whereas, the Grantor's lands provide significant winter
range and crucial habitat for many indigenous species
including elk, bighorn sheep, mule deer, pronghorns,
grizzly and black bears, mountain lions, other indigenous
wildlife, and, upon completion of the Bison Management
Plan, significant winter range and crucial habitat for
bison;"
Section II
F. Ranching and Agricultural Activities. Grantor shall
have the right to use the Easement Lands for traditional
agricultural and ranching activities, including the
grazing of livestock, consistent with the terms of this
Easement, provided these activities do not materially
jeopardize the wildlife habitat values ...
Section VII
A. The parties agree ... to develop a Royal Teton Ranch
Bison Management Plan ... for the Easement Lands and
other lands mutually agreed upon ... This plan would
be intended to guide management actions consistent with
the terms and purposes of this Easement, though it may
be more protective of bison and their habitat. It should
identify ways to manage the land to preserve, restore
and enhance the bison that utilize the Property and
their habitat.
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