The Plight of the Buffalo

Buffalo Resting Near The Mud Volcano in YNP

In Humane Society words: The Montana Department of Livestock (DOL) has set up a bison trap on state land near the West Yellowstone airport, and they intend to begin capturing approximately 300 wild buffalo -- including tiny newborn babies and their whole families -- starting Thursday. These buffalo are being charged with the "crime" of trying to live wild and free by straying outside of Yellowstone National Park. The DOL is trying to justify this slaughter by pointing to a case of brucellosis in a Montana cattle herd, far to the north and east of Yellowstone. But the bison are not to blame. Wild bison have never transmitted the livestock disease brucellosis to cattle.

This is correct about buffalo not being responsible for infecting the herds here. The one cattle herd was actually proven to be infected through another cattle herd. Whether through genetics or what I do not know since I did not pay attention. Montana's governor even stated on record that the buffalo are not to blame and we should also be looking into transmission from elk. Brucellosis is in fact in elk and cattle but buffalo are the scapegoats. I do not understand why. My feeling is that ranchers don't want buffalo grazing the same land their cattle use even if some of this land is public land. As for the elk, I just don't know why elk are not in the same position buffalo are. Elk are loose everywhere around here, free to infect cattle; buffalo are not but are slaughtered by the hundreds by the NPS yearly without even testing the buffalo for the disease. I feel hunting interests are behind this somehow. Plus, there is a growing market for buffalo meat. Buffalo burgers (and maybe steaks but I don't remember) are on the menus Old Faithful and possibly throughout the Park. I feel bad for the buffalo. It's nothing more than a modern day massacre with no real evidence to back up the reasons given. Let the buffalo roam.