Montana, Gov. Brian Schweitzer's office is planning on changing how bison that wander out of Yellowstone are managed. Currently bison are rounded up and sent to slaughter but some are sent to a quarantined research facility in Corwin Springs MT. State and federal officials say the hazing, capture and slaughter of bison is part of the Interagency Bison Management Plan (IBMP) approved in 2000 intended to maintain a viable wild bison population in Yellowstone, The plan is designed to reduce the risk of transmitting brucellosis, a disease that can cause abortions, from bison to nearby livestock.
An agreement with Church Universal and Triumphant to open up thousands of acres that abuts Yellowstone for bison range was approved in 1999 but the deal hasn't been consummated, as it requires $13 million to be given to the church. Gov. Schweitzer's chief policy adviser Hal Harper said that this should become a priority.
The herd was estimated at-------------------------->More
