| Yellowstone Bison Slaughter
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| News
Article 3/25/04 |
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| Buffalo
on public land should be managed as wildlife
Bozeman Daily Chronicle Op Ed
by Joe Gutkoski
March 25, 2004
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Yellowstone
National Park is trapping our wild buffalo, and with the
complicity of the Montana Department of Livestock herding
them into cattle trucks for transport to slaughter. With
high fanfare of official uniforms, badges, sidearms and
flashing red lights on official cars, they are sending
them down the highway to death, for no good reason.
Our native buffalo evolved over thousands of years to
become fit for Montana's land, water and climate. They
must be allowed to move into public wildlife winter ranges
in the Yellowstone, Gallatin and Madison River basins.
Native genetically pure wild buffalo are more valuable
than the few cows that are causing their slaughter.
Buffalo are being trucked out without even testing for
brucellosis. Who gave the right to Yellowstone Park and
Montana Department of Livestock to slaughter our buffalo?
I am requesting that Yellowstone National Park, Gallatin
National Forest and Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks remove
themselves from this quagmire and let Montana Department
of Livestock and the Animal and Plant Health Service roast
in hell for their actions.
Do this before the killing once again plunges us into
national disgrace over one of our national symbols.
We can balance our buffalo numbers on public land by managing
them as wildlife, with discrete, fair chase, efficient,
money-making public hunts that will be a fair harvest
open to all and participated in by many. As biologist
Jim Posewitz said, "Montana still has the opportunity
to do it right. After that is accomplished, let the other
states feel free to follow."
Joe Gutkoski, secretary
American Buffalo Foundation
Bozeman
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