ok, who wants to join my cattle roundup?

[Guest guest]

i figure, we drive all the cattle currently grazing on BLM land, and herd them

onto the white house lawn..lotsa grass there..maybe the Mall in washington dc??

maybe in a few generations of running wild on the steps of the lincoln memorial,

they will revert back to aurochs...

 

 

Buffalo Field Campaign News from the Field

t r u t h o u t | Update

 

In this issue:

 

 

* An Update from the Field

* Press Release 4/3/02

* Buffalo Stampede in DC a success!

 

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* An Update from the Field

 

Greetings friends, Warm, sunny weather has been melting the snow rapidly and the

first green shoots on Horse Butte are calling the buffalo back to their

preferred calving grounds. A group of 18 buffalo answered the call on Monday and

made the 5 mile journey from the Yellowstone boundary to the butte, following

the river bluffs that meander along the north side of the Madison. BFC

volunteers were blessed to be in their presence, amidst the eagles and swans,

for one idyllic day.

 

As the sun rose over the Madison River on Wednesday, another day of high drama

was unfolding at Horse Butte. The small herd and BFC volunteers put in a great

effort to thwart yet another capture operation, but by the end of the day 15

bison had been captured. Three bison joined a female and calf that had been

released two weeks ago and escaped the capture. Six of the bison were sent to

slaughter this morning. Nine bison that tested negative were released at Horse

Butte.

 

The weekly harassment, torture, and slaughter of these magnificent creatures is

difficult to take. It seems it may be even harder to hear the news from afar

than it is to witness in person. Volunteers in camp were deeply hurt by

yesterday's events, but another beautiful day is here, and we know many more

bison are making their way towards the park border.

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*Press Release 4/3/02

 

Lockdown Temporarily Halts Bison Capture at Horse Butte

 

West Yellowstone, MT: Gallatin County resident Joe Strusz locked himself to the

Horse Butte bison capture facility this morning, halting an operation to capture

twenty bison that migrated to the butte two days ago. Strusz secured his arms to

the gate of the facility with chains inside of a steal pipe at 8 AM, just as the

capture operation was beginning.

 

According to Strusz, " This capture facility is a blight on our National Forests.

I'll unlock when Gallatin National Forest takes the facility down and allows

bison to use public lands. Bison should be accorded all the rights of wildlife

and left undisturbed to graze where they see fit. "

 

Later in the morning, MDOL agents removed Strusz from the facility after they

disassembled parts of the corral with a crane truck. He was arrested and charged

with trespassing and obstruction. When the facility was put back together the

capture operation continued with nine agents on snowmobiles hazing the bison

into the trap. The bison evaded the snowmobiles for about an hour, at one point

being pushed through a barbed wire fence before being captured.

 

Government agencies including the Montana Department of Livestock (MDOL),

Gallatin National Forest, National Park Service, and Montana Fish, Wildlife and

Parks have killed over 3,200 Yellowstone bison since 1985. The slaughter is

based on the unsubstantiated fear that bison will transmit brucellosis to

cattle. There has never been a documented case of transmission from bison to

cattle in a natural setting.

 

Strusz said of the slaughter, " Bison and livestock have co-mingled in Grand

Teton National Park for more than 45 years without a single case of

transmission. If the government really believes there is a risk, they should

manage the cattle, not slaughter the bison. "

 

In fact, there are no cattle in the area until June 15th, well after Yellowstone

bison traditionally return to the park. Brucellosis bacteria have been shown to

live for only a matter of days when exposed to the elements. Any risk of

transmission could be eliminated by keeping a time and space separation between

the cattle and bison.

 

Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC) spokesperson Peter Leusch stated, " Instead of

wasting millions of taxpayer dollars a year to slaughter bison, managers should

focus on the cattle. If there truly is a risk of transmission, the Forest

Service should cancel the grazing allotments surrounding Yellowstone. "

 

BFC volunteers documented grizzly bear tracks on Horse Butte this morning. In

addition, bald eagles were seen in the air, with a protected nest located about

a quarter mile north of the bison capture facility. Gallatin National Forest has

failed to consider the impacts that bison management activities have on other

wildlife that rely on Horse Butte.

 

Leusch said, " These operations continue to threaten endangered species like

grizzly bears and bald eagles as well as elk, moose, trumpeter swans and a host

of other wildlife. Not only are bison being needlessly slaughtered, but the

whole west side of the ecosystem is also threatened. This is simply a

bureaucratic boondoggle where wildlife, the American people, and the local

economy lose out to the unfounded fears of the livestock industry. "

------------

 

* Buffalo Stampede in DC a success!

 

Marchers adorned in buffalo costumes and carrying banners descended on the USDA

and Department of Interior offices in Washington, DC today. The stampede called

for an end to the buffalo slaughter in Montana and justice for America's last,

wild buffalo. The stampede succeeded in bringing the issue to Department of

Interior officials who met with BFC representatives following the rally. We are

hoping that this event will be a springboard for other effective actions in the

nation's capital and elsewhere. Look for an AP article coming out on the

Stampede and please contact us if you see it in your local newspaper.

 

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Buffalo Field Campaign

PO Box 957

West Yellowstone, MT 59758

(406) 646-0070

http://www.wildrockies.org/buffalo/

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