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Status quo on bison policy, state vet says GARDINER (AP) - Montana's state veterinarian says the Livestock Department will continue hazing and capturing bison as cattle begin grazing on public land near Yellowstone National Park on May 30. "We're at a status quo with bison management," said Dr. Arnold Gertonson. The comment came at a Wednesday forum on bison management that included Gertonson and representatives of the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service and the Church Universal and Triumphant, whose Royal Teton Ranch abuts the park. Panel members indicated there would be little change in bison policy before the completion of an environmental impact statement on a bison management plan due out early next year. The three principal agencies on the plan - the National Park Service, the Livestock Department and the Forest Service - are wading through more than 67,000 comments collected during the public comment period. The panel would not indicate what could be expected to be included in the final plan. The issue is how to handle Yellowstone bison that may be infected with the cattle disease brucellosis, which causes cows to abort their calves and can cause undulant fever in humans. The disease is relatively widespread in the Yellowstone herd, and the state slaughters bison that leave the park searching for winter forage in Montana's cattle country. The killing has been an issue for years. Two relatively mild winters in a row have kept the issue fairly quiet because fewer bison left the park. Only 11 bison were killed in the winter of 1997-98 and 91 have been killed so far this year. In 1996-97, nearly 1,100 bison were shot or shipped to slaughter. Critics of Montana's bison policy argue there has never been a documented case of brucellosis being transmitted from bison to cattle in the wild, so there should be no killing. The final plan is expected to be released in early 2000. Copyright 1999 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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