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Yellowstone Buffalo Slaughter

The following comes from Wotanging Ikche -- Native American News
Volume 06, Issue 005, 31 January 1998

--------- "RE: Slaughter of Yellowstone Buffalo" ---------

Date: Thu, 22 Jan 1998 23:29:44 -0700
From: buffalo folks stop-the-slaughter@wildrockies.org
Subj: Montana begins Slaughter of Yellowstone Buffalo AGAIN! (please pass this on!) (8)

UUCP email

Yellowstone Bison Lured from Park for Transport to Slaughter:
Attempt to Prevent Possible Slaughter Leads to Arrest
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: 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: momholt-mason@mt.gov., 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
buffalo@wildrockies.org
http://www.wildrockies.org/buffalo


--------- "RE: Relocated Bison Again in Danger" ---------

Date: Mon, 26 Jan 1998 14:10:07 -0500
From: buffalo@wildrockies.org (Buffalo Nations)
Subj: Relocated bison again in danger

UUCP email

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 26, 1998
Media Contact: Sue Nackoney, Michael Mease, (406) 646-0070

Four bison held in a capture facility and were marked with orange paint and relocated in West Yellowstone on Thursday, January 22, are once again at risk of being captured and/or killed by Montana's Department of Livestock (DOL). The orange marking paint had worn off within two days of their release.

These bison were released on Horse Butte, an area where hundreds of bison were killed last year. The DOL is in the final stages of approval for building another capture and testing facility on Horse Butte.

All nine buffalo who were captured on January 22 were males. Five bison were shipped to slaughter. Male bison are considered a low risk for transmission of brucellosis by the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). APHIS has stated that they will not revoke Montana's brucellosis-free status if Montana tolerates the presence of bull bison in the state up to 60 days prior to the return of cattle.

Yet Montana's DOL still insists upon testing and killing the Yellowstone buffalo.

"The only way brucellosis can be transmitted to cattle is through contact with an aborted bison fetus. The needless slaughter of five bull buffalo hearkens back to last winter, which only strengthens Buffalo Nations' commitment to prevent this tragedy from happening again. Buffalo Nations will defend these buffalo until an acceptable management plan is implemented and the DOL is no longer involved with the buffalo," stated Michael Mease co-founder of Buffalo Nations.

Last year, the DOL marked and released bison from the capture facilities who tested negative for brucellosis. Yet many marked bison were subsequently shot in the field. Joanne Stovall, a resident of Horse Butte, reports, "I saw that those animals who had been marked and were supposedly protected were killed last winter. When it came time to shoot the bison, they killed any that were around so it seems like it was futile to even test them in the first place. Afterwards I saw carcasses with the DOL markings that were supposed to protect them."

The DOL refused to release any information about the tests, even to the National Park Service. A DOL agent was quoted saying, " We are not giving any information to you bleeding heart liberals" addressing a park service ranger. According to the Bison Interim plan the park service and the DOL are mandated by law to work together. The Department of Livestock, alone, has no right to determine the fate of our last wild buffalo.

Buffalo Nations
PO Box 957
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
406-646-0070 phone
406-646-0071 fax
buffalo@wildrockies.org



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