Bison Slaughter in Yellowstone Set to Continue
11/13/97
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Headline: Bison Slaughter in Yellowstone Set to Continue
Source: Buffalo Nations
PO Box 957
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
406-646-0070 phone
406-646-0071 fax
buffalo@wildrockies.org
Date: 11/13/97
Press Release Nov. 13, 1997
Last Year's Bison Slaughter Set to Continue:
Buffalo Nations Ready to Stop the Killing
Once again, this winter the Montana Department of Livestock (DOL)
and Yellowstone National Park officials will slaughter wild buffalo who
leave the park in search of food. But this year, volunteers with Buffalo
Nations will make sure that last year's slaughter of nearly 1100 buffalo
will not be repeated. Buffalo Nations is monitoring the buffalo who have
already left the park and will shepherd them to safe areas.
Last year's interim plan for bison management is still in effect,
which calls for Montana and Park officials to follow the same capture and
slaughter policies for wild buffalo leaving the park. Montana DOL Director,
Larry Petersen, was quoted in the Livingston Enterprise Wednesday, Nov. 12,
as saying that the attempts of Buffalo Nations to shepherd bison away from
the capture facilities, "puts us in the position of having to kill more
bison."
However, according to Mike Mease, Buffalo Nations co-founder, "Last
winter, after releasing buffalo that tested negative, the DOL ended up
killing some of those buffalo later. Mease adds, "The state of Montana has
the audacity to label America's last wild buffalo herd as livestock, not
wildlife. The DOL have no business managing wildlife." The DOL profits off
the sale of the herds sent to slaughter which provides a direct incentive
for them to continue to kill this winter. DOL does not make any money from
the buffalo shot in the field.
The survival of the last wild bison herd in the lower 48 states is
dependent upon the genetic viability of the population. The 1100 buffalo
killed by the DOL and Park officials last winter were among the genetically
superior members of the herd. These were the buffalo strong enough to make
it to their winter forage ground. Approximately 800 to 1000 more died of
natural causes during the harsh winter. We simply do not have time to allow
the slaughter to continue to jeopardize the long term survival of the herd.
The Draft Environmental Impact Statement will not be issued by the agencies
until January at the earliest. It is already 9 years over due. The same
agencies that have been killing the buffalo for over 10 years are still in
charge of this policy.
Native Americans have never been invited to discussions on how the
buffalo will be managed, even though the Park recognizes 10 tribes as
having rights in Yellowstone. Forty-four Native American tribes are
willing to pay the bill to relocate live buffalo to their tribes, restoring
culture and economy to an oppressed peoples. No lessons were learned from
last year's tragedy and Buffalo Nations finds this unacceptable. Jeremy
Lynch, a Native American Buffalo Nations volunteer, says, "We cannot stand
by and watch our relatives be slaughtered again this year. Buffalo Nations
call for all Native and non-native Americans to become involved in this
important issue that affects all our lives."
For more information or a press packet, call Mike Mease at (406)646-0070.
Buffalo Nations
PO Box 957
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
406-646-0070 phone
406-646-0071 fax
buffalo@wildrockies.org