Groups seek more room for bison to roam

Give bison running room in a cattle-free zone in Montana outside Yellowstone National Park, wildlife advocates and homeowners said.

A coalition of bison advocates and local landowners Tuesday asked federal and state officials to stop catching and killing bison in a cattle-free zone in the Horse Butte area while alternatives to the slaughter are under review, Buffalo Fields Campaign said in a news release.

The letter asked state and federal officials to stop capturing and killing Yellowstone's bison and to initiate a new environmental impact study to assess changes to an Interagency Bison Management Plan in light of the changed circumstances on Horse Butte, which doesn't have cattle-grazing now.

"The government has been killing our nation's last remaining wild bison, claiming it is necessary to prevent the spread of brucellosis to cattle on the Horse Butte Peninsula," said Michael Mease, campaign coordinator for the Buffalo Field Campaign. "There are no more cattle on Horse Butte, so that excuse rings hollow."

Yellowstone bison migrate to Horse Butte, a peninsula jutting into Hebgen Lake, in late winter and spring seeking to forage.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International

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