FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 22, 1998
PRESS CONFERENCE ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 23:
Michael Mease, Dan Howells
Friday, January 23, 11:00 a.m.
Emerson Cultural Center
111 S. Grand Ave.
Bozeman, MT
Weaver Room, 2nd floor
Media Contact: Sue Nackoney, (406) 646-0070
FAX: (406) 646 0071
email: mailto:buffalo@wildrockies.org
Yesterday, January 21, the Montana Department of Livestock (DOL) scattered
hay at their capture facility outside West Yellowstone, MT to bait buffalo
leaving Yellowstone National Park. They hazed the buffalo who were outside
of the park into the capture facility during the night.
Thursday, five buffalo were captured and shipped off to a slaughter house
in Sheridan, MT. These will be the first buffalo slaughtered by the DOL
this winter. The bison in the trailers were bleeding from gore wounds they
inflicted on each other in the pens and in the transfer process.
The DOL also relocated four of Yellowstone's buffalo away the Duck Creek
drainage, to be released at Horse Butte. These buffalo were marked with
bright orange paint and could be injured.
At 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Buffalo Nations volunteer Dan Howells locked
himself to a trailer getting ready to relocate the four buffalo. With a
kryptonite bicycle lock around his neck, Howells, a 29 year-old non-violent
protester from Michigan, stated "We must stop the buffalo slaughter. These
buffalo do not belong to the Department of Livestock, they belong to the
people of the United States. The buffalo should be allowed to be wild and
free." Howells was cut free from the trailer, and charged with
obstruction, a misdemeanor.
Buffalo Nations believes that the Department of Livestock does not have the
right to capture and slaughter our last wild buffalo herd. Yellowstone's
bison are not livestock, and should not be subjected to conditions which
are alien to them. The DOL has no right to bait wildlife into leaving the
park. Last year, buffalo were indiscriminately shipped to slaughter even
though the tests for brucellosis are at best 70% effective. This resulted
in the slaughter of bison who tested positive at the facility but tested
negative at the slaughterhouse.
Buffalo Nations is calling for the concerned citizens of the United States
to express their outrage to Montana's governor, Marc Racicot (email:
mailto:momholt-mason@mt.gov., mailto:amalcolm@mt.gov), over the
resumed slaughter of this nation's heritage, the last wild buffalo.
Unfortunately, a Federal Judge has already conceded that at least 100 more
can be killed this winter.
******************
Background Information:
* Buffalo Nations is appalled at the Department of Livestock's total
disrespect for human safety. During their past hazing activities, the DOL
sent buffalo running down a residential road where people were standing and
children were walking home from school. In another incident they hazed
bison with cracker-barrels despite the resident's insistence that no bison
be shot or hazed on her land.
* On January 15, Bryce Smedley, a Buffalo Nations volunteer, was confronted
by Mr. Koelzer, the owner of the land where the DOL capture facility is
located. Smedley had entered the property to protect endangered bison.
Koelzer drove into Smedley, knocking him down and ran over his foot.
Smedley sustained minor injuries. "People are putting their lives on the
line every day to save these buffalo. I chose to trespass to protect the
buffalo non-violently and was met with violence," Smedley said. He is
pressing assault charges against Mr. Koelzer and in turn will face
trespassing charges.
* On January 18, a 20 year-old Buffalo Nations volunteer from Livingston
reported that the lug nuts on one of her rear tires had been loosened while
she was in the field. Luckily she discovered they were gone before a
serious accident occurred. Activists are concerned about their safety from
those opposing their efforts.
* Last year, nearly 1100 wild buffalo were slaughtered by the Montana's
Dept. of Livestock and rangers from Yellowstone National Park. These wild
buffalo were leaving Yellowstone National Park in search of food during an
extremely cold and snowy winter. At the beginning of Winter 97-98, there
were less than 1000 wild buffalo left in the lower 48.
* Buffalo Nations is a coalition of Native American Traditionalist and
grassroot activists of all races volunteering to save the last wild buffalo
in the United States.
* Michael Mease, Buffalo Nations co-founder stated, "Buffalo Nations has a
firm commitment to save the buffalo in a non-violent manner. We may
trespass, but we will never endanger anyone's life. Our job is to keep the
buffalo safe from the one agency that still insists on killing them. Our
campaign follows a code of non-violence. Our goal is to protect buffalo
from being killed. Until buffalo treated like all other wildlife and their
fate is no longer controlled by the Montana DOL, Buffalo Nations will be
here to protect our children's heritage."
Buffalo Nations
PO Box 957
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
406-646-0070 phone
406-646-0071 fax
mailto:buffalo@wildrockies.org
http://www.wildrockies.org/buffalo
Note: I post Buffalo Nations' Reports as a service, and because of the high interest in the bison controversy. Posting these reports is not an endorsement. . . . Ralph Maughan.