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GARDINER, MONTANA. 104 buffalo were
chased from Montana into Yellowstone National Park this
morning in an operation led by the National Park Service.
The bison were migrating north along the west side of
the Yellowstone River and entered Montana, where a zero-tolerance
bison policy is enforced year-round.
"Buffalo are never allowed in the state without
being threatened with harassment or death," said
BFC Project Director Dan Brister, ""Even as
the hunt is underway, the agencies are conducting hazing
operations. Imagine the outcry if federal agents chased
elk from their native range at the height of elk season."
On Friday, November 25, hunters shot two bull bison,
members of America's only continuously wild herd. One
of the hunters, a woman from Bozeman, shot a buffalo
while it was bedded down.
Kathleen Stachowski, a Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC)
board member who documented both kills on Friday, questioned
the integrity of one of the hunters, "She shot
him while he was lying down," she said. "He
never even had the chance to stand up. How can the state
honestly call this a 'fair-chase' hunt?"
The Buffalo Field Campaign opposes Montana's bison hunt
because buffalo have no protected habitat in Montana
and are never allowed in the state without being captured,
shot, or harassed. BFC video footage and photos of Montana's
bison hunt, including Friday's kills, are available
upon request and may be viewed at http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org.
These recent actions are the result of Montana's zero-tolerance
policy against wild bison. The state justifies its stance
on the unfounded fear that bison may transmit brucellosis,
a European livestock disease, to cattle. There has never
been a documented case of wild bison transmitting brucellosis
to livestock. All eight bison hunted this year have
been bulls, which pose no risk of transmitting the bacteria.
"These two incidents, though seemingly separate,
demonstrate Montana's unwillingness to allow native
bison to exist within our borders," said Stephany
Seay of BFC, a wild bison advocacy group based in West
Yellowstone and Gardiner.
A total of ten wild bull bison have been killed in Montana
this fall. Eight have been shot by Montana hunters and
two by Montana's Department of Livestock. In the past
ten years the state of Montana and the federal government
have killed 2,468 wild Yellowstone bison.
Buffalo Field Campaign is the only group working in
the field, everyday, to stop the slaughter of the wild
Yellowstone buffalo. Volunteers defend the buffalo on
their native habitat and advocate for their protection.
Video footage is available up on request.
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