[cdestroyer]

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/deal-will-allow-mass-slaughter-of-yellowstone-bison/

[Chico]

Heaven forbid the cattle in Montana come down with some disease that MAYBE they got from bison!

[Kascadia]

Does anyone know how they plan to slaughter the animals? They mention "shipment". It's a little ironic we brought the disease over, it spread to the bison, and now they have to be killed in order to prevent it from spreading back from whence it came. . .

[Chico]

Should think shooting them.

[contour5]

Under a federal-state agreement, every year, the herd has to be reduced by about 10 percent. Several hundred get sent for processing to tribes, which distribute the hides and meat. So... Yellowstone isn't really a regular wildlife in a NP setting kind of deal. It's actually a ginormous meat ranch with a really slow turnover rate. I find this all somewhat unsettling, although not really surprising. How bout a live action, paleo-themed reality TeeVee series about the slaughter where hapless shlubs compete to strangle the Buff barehanded, or armed only with dull pinking shears or rusty old garden tools, or maybe just sticks and rocks? Tie in the story of the 1600 missing hikers and the recent reports of cannibal activity on the PCT and you'd have the perfect infotainment combination to distract us from whatever thoughts we are attempting to flee!

[Ski]

[Bernardo]

No. At least many articles claim this. Apparently, elk transmitted the desease, but not bison. I think this is really about grazing rights and the disease is used as a means to an end.

[Ski]

I Google searched it a few different ways and I'm not coming up with anything that documents any cases of bison infecting cattle. Apparently it started the other way around: it was brought over from Europe in domestic cattle and infected bison and elk on this continent. Sounds like a dumb idea, but I suppose it's bison vs. Montana Cattlemens Association... wonder who will come out on top on that deal? mca@montanacattlemen.org

[Humptulips]

My understanding is as long as the cattle herds are brucellosis free MT ranchers have free reign to export out of State. If brucellosis gets in the herd they get quarantined so it is a preventative measure. Obviously though if you have ranch land outside the park you don't want to be feeding bison and that is where excess bison from the park are going to go.

[Ski]

sent Friday, March 24, 2017 20:05 PDT subject: where do the buffalo roam? Montana Cattlemen’s Association Vaughn, Montana, 59487 re: bison / brucellosis Gentlemen: I have done several Google searches using different keywords and switching the syntax around, and I am unable to find even one documented instance of wild bison infecting domestic cattle with brucellosis. I am certain this is an area of interest to your group, and wonder if perhaps you might have some information that would shed more light on this issue. I am not interested in “potentials” or “possibilities”. I am interested only in any actual DOCUMENTED instances in which wild bison have infected domestic cattle on the North American continent within the last 83 years (since 1934.) Thank you sincerely for your time and consideration. I anxiously await your reply.

[drm]

[treeswarper]

You might have better luck contacting a veterinarian that treats large animals. Where's Baxter Black? Maybe a Montucky vet school? Or maybe even WSU?

[cdestroyer]

I just saw tonite on the local channel that there is a call in campaign to stop the slaughter of bison. The article also stated that there never has been a documented case of bucelosis passed from bison to cattle. The bison migrate in and out of the park just like elk and deer..

[Ski]

.... still waiting for that reply from the Montana Cattlemens Association.

[treeswarper]