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February 18, 2004
Department of Livestock Slaughters 10 Buffalo,
Releases Orphaned Calves
Contact: Dan Brister (406) 646-0070  Buffalo Field Campaign
West Yellowstone, MT: Of the 18 buffalo captured in the Horse Butte trap yesterday, the Montana Department of Livestock sent ten (9 cows and a bull) to slaughter this afternoon. Eight buffalo (five yearlings, two bulls, and a cow) were loaded onto a trailer and released on Horse Butte.

The buffalo had been peacefully grazing near the Madison River on the Gallatin National Forest, in an ecologically sensitive area where livestock are never present.

After their capture, the buffalo were loaded onto trailers and transported to a different trap at Duck Creek, where they were tested for exposure to brucellosis.

The test, which determines the presence of antibodies and not active infection, is an unreliable indicator. "It's like trying to eradicate chickenpox by killing everyone who has ever been exposed to them," stated BFC spokesperson Dan Brister, noting that buffalo are capable of developing natural resistance to brucellosis after being exposed.

There has never been a documented case of brucellosis transmission from wild bison to livestock. Buffalo stay in family groups, with calves remaining close to their mothers for up to three years. Such family structure affords protection from predators and easier access to forage. Today's slaughter left at least four orphaned calves, whose chances of survival are severely threatened by the loss of their mothers.

"Today's slaughter highlights the DOL's unwillingness to use common sense and sound science," stated BFC spokesperson Josh Osher. "Livestock agents have no right harassing and killing an iconic wildlife species like the Yellowstone buffalo."

Yesterday's operation marks the first capture since last March, when the Park Service slaughtered 231 buffalo in Yellowstone National Park. Two bulls were shot earlier this season, one on February 5 and one in November. The DOL has spent more than $3.5 million on bison management operations since 1996 that have resulted in the slaughter of more than 2,000 wild buffalo.

The Yellowstone herd is the only herd in America with continuously wild ancestry. It is descended from just 23 individuals who survived the 19th century near-extinction.

The Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC) is the only group working in the field, everyday, to stop the slaughter of Yellowstone's wild buffalo. Volunteers defend the buffalo on their traditional habitat and advocate for their protection.
P.O. Box 957 West Yellowstone, MT 59758
Phone (406) 646-0070 Fax (406) 646-0071  E-mail buffalo@wildrockies.org


Update from the field November 27
Bull needlessly killed while trying to reenter the park
N.B. Bulls neither carry nor transmit brucellosis

Dear Friends of the Buffalo,
In this time of thankfulness we have some sad news. On Tuesday November 25th, another bull buffalo was shot dead by DOL agent Shane Grube while running back towards the boundary of Yellowstone National Park. He was some 25 yards shy of the border. Volunteers had to witness the agents drag the dead bull to the facility where they proceeded to fork-lift him onto a truck, gut and skin him, and remove his head. Again another powerful animal died at the hands of the ignorant and intolerant. The bull lived the only way he knew how---"Wild and Free!" Even in death the Buffalo continue to teach.
On this Thanksgiving day, from the field, I would like to give thanks to the gifts that the Earth in this Yellowstone ecosystem continuously bestows upon us. In this past week while out on patrol, volunteers have been honored by a visiting pack of wolves, howling to others in the distance while eight bull bison lay silent amidst the sage brush, seemingly undisturbed by the presence of their predatory visitors. A bald eagle soars overhead, scanning Duck Creek for a meal while three otters break water as they come up for a look and quickly dive under again. A lone moose can be seen in the pines. Two ravens chase a Red-tailed hawk west of Sandy Butte. Each day in the field we are reminded of the connectedness that lives in and through all things, and that we are merely a strand in this huge web. As we stand in the field with the buffalo, we are very thankful.
With the Buffalo,
Roman, BFC Volunteer

Update from the field  October 16, 2003
Its that time of the year again and the buffalo have started coming out of the park. Our patrols have been in the field monitoring their movements and working to protect them. Already the Department of Livestock (DOL) has been disrupting the peacefulness of fall by chasing and harassing the buffalo at every turn, despite the fact that there are no cattle present for miles in any direction. The all-too-familiar routine of DOL cowboys coming into town to haze buffalo is once again becoming a weekly ritual.

With the return of daily patrols we have started to pull out and dust off our radios and cameras. We're tuning up the skis and snowshoes, and the wood piles are growing by the day. Needless to say, when things really start to kick off we will be ready. In order to keep our patrols well-equipped we will need your help. Last year we had to run patrols in Gardiner as well as West Yellowstone. With the possibility of having to go to other areas to stop the slaughter, we are in need of new radio equipment. Radios have played a key role in our effectiveness in the field. Every one of our patrols that goes into the field has radio communication with all the other patrols and with our office. We use radios every day in the field to let other patrols know where the DOL are, to set up rendezvous points, to call the house for back up, and for the safety of our volunteers. Radios have saved some of our volunteers from frostbite and have helped us to save the lives of many buffalo. With radios we have been able to track the DOL and coordinate efforts to keep buffalo out of harm's way.

We are asking for your help in raising $2,500 to meet our radio needs. Any donations you send earmarked "radios" will be used to purchase new radios, repair our old ones and help maintain them throughout the season.

Thank you for helping us to prepare for our seventh winter in the field!
With the Buffalo,
Beaver

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