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Update from the Field
Dear Buffalo Friends,
We'd like to start by saying *THANK YOU*
to everyone who has been putting in calls, emails, and
faxes to Yellowstone, Governor Schweitzer, and MT Acting
State Vet Jeanne Rankin. You are making a huge difference
for the buffalo! Your voice forced a stay of execution.
The buffalo will not die today. Given the impact you've
made and what still looms ahead, it is clear that *WE
MUST KEEP THE PRESSURE ON.* Please don't let
up for one minute in contacting these decision-makers
(listed below), and please continue to spread the word
and share the buffalo's story.
Yesterday the agencies met and decided that they would
face a public relations nightmare if they went forward
with plans to kill buffalo moms and babies. They felt
the heat before they went through with their plans and
the death sentence has been postponed. We are hugely
grateful that buffalo will not be killed in the next
few days, but they are far from being left alone. The
agencies have decided, in lieu of immediate capture
and slaughter, that they will resume hazing - with horses
and helicopter - through the weekend. Border patrols
will guard Yellowstone's boundary to chase away any
approaching buffalo. Come Monday, any buffalo - newborn
calves included - found in Montana will be sent to slaughter.
Slaughter or hazing? While the buffalo should not die,
they shouldn't be forced off of their native ground
either. The hazing has begun and hundreds of buffalo
calves, moms, and other family members are being hounded
by helicopter and horsemen.
The decision to capture and slaughter came on Tuesday
at an emergency Board of Livestock meeting called by
Governor Schweitzer. There were about fifty ranchers
in the room along with BFC Board Member Ken Cole and
myself. It was intense, but the buffalo lent their massive
strength to us. The Board discussed the recent incident
of brucellosis being found in Montana cattle far from
Yellowstone and farther still from the buffalo's migration
paths. But cattle interests will place the blame anywhere
but upon themselves. They blame Yellowstone. They blame
the buffalo. They blame the elk. Ironic, because brucellosis
is a disease - one among many - that invasive cattle
brought to native wildlife. Wild buffalo have never
transmitted it back to cattle. Still, it is these gentle
giants who bear the burden. The Board admits that they
do not know the source responsible for this particular
incident and that it is possible it came from cattle.
Regardless, the cattle interests set their sights on
wild buffalo. At the meeting, Dr. Jeanne Rankin made
the unilateral decision to have the DOL set up a bison
trap and begin capturing and slaughtering the nearly
300 wild buffalo who remained on the Horse Butte Peninsula,
the buffalo's chosen Spring habitat. While Ken and I
attended the meeting, BFC patrols witnessed the construction
of the bison trap being set up on state land near the
West Yellowstone Airport. The cattle interests cry that
the buffalo "are not responding" to hazing.
Of course not, they are wild, free-thinking animals.
They won't "stick" because buffalo migrate:
it's what they do. Gentle grazers with split hooves
that till, poop that fertilizes, and the urge to move
on long before overgrazing is what makes buffalo superb
for the land.
And here we are today. Buffalo are being chased out
of Montana, run for nearly 16 miles from Horse Butte
deep into Yellowstone National Park. Agents are even
shooting the buffalo with paint balls, making crude
remarks about them as if they were cockroaches swarming
the land. The romantic image of the cowboy dies with
these agents and the industry they represent; ill-tempered
cowboys harassing an American icon, doing it gladly,
doing it in spite of everything rational that speaks
to the contrary.
Our combined strength is making a difference. It will
and it has. We must not stop now. Come Monday, the buffalo
could die. They need us. They need to roam this land
so they can live wild and free and help restore what
humanity has stolen and degraded. They are great teachers
and we need them, too, more than they need us. The buffalo
are a sacred gift and they have suffered long and hard
due to human ignorance and greed. Buffalo wisdom holds
persistence, resistance, endurance. They are gentle
beings with tenacious strength, amazingly strong family
ties, and an unyielding willingness to coexist with
the human race that has caused them so much suffering.
They are generous, forgiving, thoughtful, powerful creatures.
We have many aspects of them within ourselves. Learning
to live more like them would be a blessing to our own
species and the entire global community. The buffalo
can show us how to save ourselves from ourselves.
Roam Free,
~Stephany
------------------------------
* We are Making a Difference! KEEP THE PRESSURE
ON!
PLEASE CONTINUE TO CONTACT these decision-makers and
demand that they cease plans to capture and slaughter
the buffalo who are trying to live wild and free! Contact
each by phone, fax, and email and let's not let them
forget that the world is watching!
* MONTANA GOVERNOR BRIAN SCHWEITZER:
Demand that Schweitzer keep his campaign promise to
provide tolerance for bison in Montana.
(406) 444-3111 (ph) * (406) 444-5529 (fax) * governor@mt.gov
(email)
* MONTANA ACTING STATE VET JEANNE RANKIN:
Urge her to withdraw her decision to slaughter Yellowstone
bison calves and family groups. Remind her you are boycotting
beef and your friends are joining you!
(406) 444-1895 (ph) * (800) 523-3162 (ph) * (406) 444-1929
(fax) * jrankin@mt.gov
(email)
------------------------------
* Buffalo in the News
5/30/07 - Montana delays slaughter of 300 bison amid
uproar
Reuters
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070531/us_nm/bison_dc
5/30/07 - The Buffalo Wars: Interview with Rosalie Little
Thunder
The Abolitionist Online
http://www.abolitionist-online.com/06_buffalowars.html
5/31/07 - Bison get one more hazing attempt
Bozeman Daily Chronicle
http://bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2007/05/31/news/10hazing.txt
5/30/07 - State vet details plan to slaughter up to
300 bison
Billings Gazette
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/05/30/news/state/40-vet.txt
5/30/07 - Worst brucellosis fears unrealized
Billings Gazette
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/05/30/news/state/20-brucellosis.txt
5/29/07 - Bison Slaughter / Board of Livestock Meeting
Montana Public Radio Evening Edition
http://www.mtpr.net/program_info/2007-05-29-132
------------------------------
* Livestock Notable Quotes
Here are a few quotes from Tuesday's Board of Livestock
meeting to give you and idea of the mentality behind
Montana's livestock industry.
"We don't know the source [of brucellosis infection];
the source of infection is unknown."
~ Montana's Acting State Vet Jeanne Rankin
"We're very thin [to focus on cattle] with what's
happening [with buffalo] in West Yellowstone right now."
~ Montana's Acting State Vet Jeanne Rankin
"I'm not sure we will have a crew to test bison.
Obviously our manpower is over in the Bridger and Emmigrant
area, to get those cattle tested."
~ Montana's Acting State Vet Jeanne Rankin
"We destroyed 1,000 head of bison, I think we'll
destroy some more, and they'll continue to do what bison
do..."
~ Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer
"Our brucellosis-free status could be threatened,
not by wildlife, but by livestock."
~ Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer
"[These bison are] casualties of war"
~ Board of Livestock Chairman Bill Hedstrom
"What we are facing here is a disease, and we have
to look at it in terms of a disease. We can't look at
it as bison as an icon, or baby calves, we have to look
at it as a disease. It's not a pretty situation, we
understand that, but we have to look at it as a disease."
~ Board of Livestock Chairman Bill Hedstrom
"There shouldn't have been this many bison out
there to begin with."
~ Meg Smith, Board of Livestock
"I was just getting to your thoughts on, uh, taking
the calves and feeding them and stuff, but you're basically
planning to euthanize them and dispose of them?"
~Meg Smith, Board of Livestock
" That's correct."
~ Board of Livestock Chariman Bill Hedstrom
"Discussing what to do with these calves ... what
can we do with week-old calves? When we started the
strategic hazing, we had calves on the ground April
10, so some of them are that old, and of course some
of them are gonna be newborns... I thought, well, where
do we take the beef calves? ...We can castrate them,
we can spay those heifers, or put them in a quarantine
facility... could we do that with these [bison] calves?
We're exploring all our options. The answer is that
they are too young to survive on their own. Is there
any value in them?"
~ Montana's Acting State Vet Jeanne Rankin
"The calves nobody wants, but you can probably
process them as veal."
~ Duan Chapino, Deep Well Ranch, near West Yellowstone
"These particular bison, the 200-300 head, are
becoming troublesome."
~ Board of Livestock Chairman Bill Hedstrom
"[Hazing bison] is like trying to put your finger
in a dyke."
~ Rob Tierny, DOL agent
"It's important for this group to understand how
deadly this disease is. What's so deadly about this
disease is that it impacts the rancher. If we do not
do this [slaughter buffalo], we will lose the rancher.
If we lose the rancher, the last crop he's going to
grow is the subdivision."
~ Jim Hagenbarth, a Dillon-area rancher and member of
Montana Board of Livestock
"The decision [to slaughter bison calves] isn't
pretty, but it's certainly within the IBMP."
~ Montana's Acting State Vet Jeanne Rankin
------------------------------
* Photo of the Week, Baby Buffalo Slideshow,
BFC Exclusive Video
This Photo of the Week shows one of the baby buffalo
and its mom who are currently being harassed. This little
guy would have died today if it weren't for your strong
voice. BFC volunteers Jesse and Amanda were fortunate
to spend time with these beautiful beings before today's
harassment commenced.
Photo is by BFC Coordinator Jesse Crocker, our amazing
Merlyn! http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/photooftheweek.html
This wonderful slide show by BFC Board Member and long-time
volunteer Ken Cole also shows you some beautiful buffalo
babies and their families as they enjoyed their time
on their calving grounds at Horse Butte. Click on the
first photo and the slide show will run automatically.
Today, sadly, Horse Butte will be empty of these little
guys and their gigantic gentle mothers. We must keep
contacting the agencies so they will never be sent to
slaughter and so they are able to live wild and free!
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/photooftheweek.html
http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/media/photos/bisonphotos0607maycalves.html
This beautiful video shows what's at stake, the very
buffalo that are slated for execution should the DOL
and other agencies follow-through with their plans to
slaughter on Monday. These buffalo were out on Horse
Butte until this morning, when agents forced them off
this pristine habitat back into Yellowstone. The very
last portion shows the ugly capture facility that's
been constructed near the airport. We cannot allow them
to use it! http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/
Please share these photos & video with others so
they, too, can witness the beauty of the mighty buffalo!
------------------------------
* Last Chance: BFC Handcrafted Father's Day
Cards!
Handsome handcrafted Father's Day cards are still available
if you order them online no later than Friday, June
1st.
Please visit https://secure.groundspring.org/dn/index.php?id=1807
to place your order today!
Questions? Contact barb at buffalo@wildrockies.org.
Thank you!
------------------------------
* Earth Friends Matching Grant ~ We Are Oh,
So Close!
The Earth Friends Challenge Grant, made possible by
the Earth Friends Wildlife Foundation provides an opportunity
to help raise $40,000 for BFC's front lines work. We
are very close to reaching our goal thanks to you, the
worlds most dedicated bison advocates. There is still
time to help if you can make a monetary contribution
by June 9, when BFC celebrates it's 10 Year Anniversary
& Family Reunion!
Visit http://www.buffalofieldcampaign.org/bisonmerchandise/bisonmerchandise.html
to make a secure online donation, or mail your monetary
gift to BFC, P.O. Box 957, West Yellowstone, MT 59758.
Thank you for making BFC possible!
------------------------------
* Last Words ~ Ken Cole
"I really wish I had the political power to back
up my way of life that you ranchers have to back up
your way of life. Nobody's protecting my way of life.
If I got fired from my job, it's not a big deal, it's
not a front page story. If some rancher loses his way
of life we're all left to basically cry for them because,
well, they've lost their way of life. Well, I have to
adapt.
I have to adapt to changes in the world, just like everybody
else. Why should ranchers not have to adapt to it? Are
you going to compensate me and the rest of the public
for the loss of those wildlife that you are going to
kill because of this issue that was originated by the
livestock industry? This issue with buffalo... we only
have 3,500 wild buffalo left in this country. The livestock
industry killed the buffalo, the wolves, the grizzly
bear, the Native Americans, so that they could run their
cattle everywhere across this land. I've seen horrific
abuses. You should go into Yellowstone Park and see
how vibrant the ecosystem is... how much diversity of
life there is all over the Park. I was there on Saturday
and saw every kind of wildlife you can imagine, and
it's because there are no cows there. You think it's
funny? It's not funny. [Wildlife diversity] is a good
thing. We have thrown away the tools we could have used
to feed this continent because of cows which have destroyed
massive amounts of land and displaced many many species
across this country. It's a disgrace."
~ Ken Cole, BFC Board Member and long-time volunteer,
giving his public comments at Tuesday's Board of Livestock
meeting.
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