Chelsea Whyte, contributor
(Image: Norbert Rosing/ National Geographic/Getty)
For the wild bison herds of Yellowstone National Park, home on the range may be a little less cosy this time of year. Several hundred bison could be culled in a controversial programme aimed at limiting the spread of disease to cattle as the herds migrate out of the park's high altitudes and down into the warmer climes of Montana.
The state has approved the annual cull to reduce the chance of spreading brucellosis, which can cause miscarriage, to cattle. The disease has been eradicated in the US except in the Yellowstone region.
In a proposal obtained by the Associated Press, state officials have called for the removal of 200 female bison, 50 calves, 50 yearlings, and 60 bull bison. They may be shot by hunters or captured for relocation or slaughter, with animals that test positive for disease exposure being targeted for slaughter.
But others say the threat of brucellosis transmission is overblown. Stephany Seay, a spokeswoman for the Buffalo Field Campaign, told West Yellowstone News that the cull is "a political tactic used by the cattle industry to maintain control over land use. In fact, there has never been a documented case of wild bison transmitting brucellosis in the state of Montana."
The first bison has already been taken down 16 kilometres outside of West Yellowstone, Montana, by first-time bison hunter Bobby Sutton. Sutton estimated the animal weighed about 800 kilograms.
Tens of millions of bison once roamed North America, but only about 20,000 wild bison remain.
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