Buffalo Nations saves first 16 buffalo
At dawn on Monday, 12/29, Buffalo Nations (B.N.) activists prevented the slaughter of 16 bison. Members of America's last wild buffalo herd, the animals had wandered from Yellowstone National Park onto private land near the town of West Yellowstone, Montana. The landowner, who openly expresses his antagonism toward bison, has threatened to have the animals killed if they "trespass" onto his property. He allowed the Montana Department of Livestock (D.O.L.) to construct a capture facility on his land--a natural migration corridor between the park and the bison's winter range. Last winter most bison that were herded into such facilities were killed.
The B.N. morning patrol, observing a freshly plowed road to the capture facility and unfamiliar vehicles, including a livestock trailer, decided to act. Before anyone was out of their truck, cross-country skiers had slipped under a fence onto the property and quickly shepherded the bison to safety inside the park.
B.N. doesn't routinely haze the animals or otherwise interfere with their migration patterns. With winter on its way bison can't afford to waste energy, nor can they be kept inside park lines as their winter feeding grounds are outside the park. Because Bison are considered wildlife inside park boundaries and livestock outside the park, hazing is sometimes the only means of preventing slaughter.
Immediately after the morning action Buffalo Nations received a phone call from a local landowner with two bison on her property. They had eaten her dog's hay-bale house and cornered the pets. She wanted them off her land. In previous years her only option would have been to call the D.O.L. who would come kill the Buffalo. According to Mike Mease, Buffalo Nations co-founder, "Nobody learned a lesson last year after killing over 1,000 bison, and that's completely unacceptable. People aren't going to stand by and watch the state of Montana kill off the last of the wild buffalo."
Buffalo Nations enjoys overwhelming public support. Last week, the owner of a 400 acre ranch asked us to post our "Buffalo Safety Zone" signs around the perimeter of her land. The signs, dotting fence lines throughout the community, let the D.O.L. know they are not allowed to slay bison on the property, and make it easy for activists to quickly move bison to safety in emergency situations.
Our unpaid volunteers have been patrolling the park boundaries and monitoring herd migrations since October. We are with the bison all day every day, ready to defend this uniquely American species. Monday's rapid response evinces our seriousness and dedication to preventing a repeat of last year's massacre. Thanks to this hard work and dedication no bison have been killed this winter.
Buffalo Nations
PO Box 957
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
406-646-0070
phone 406-646-0071 faxmailto:buffalo@wildrockies.org
http://www.wildrockies.org/buffalo/