Upwards of 900 bison to be killed or removed at Yellowstone park


Bison in Yellowstone National Park. Photo from Interagency Bison Management Plan

Between 600 to 900 bison will be removed or killed at Yellowstone National Park this winter, according to plans released on Tuesday.

Some bison will be taken during tribal and public hunts that occur outside of park boundaries. Others will be captured and sent to tribes for their use.

“Many people are uncomfortable with the practice of culling bison, including the National Park Service,” park Superintendent Dan Wenk said in a press release. “The park would gladly reduce the frequency and magnitude of these operations if migrating bison had access to more habitat outside the park or there was a way to transfer live bison elsewhere.”

The number of bison that will be removed or killed falls in line with a recommendation from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. The tribe is a partner in the Interagency Bison Management Plan.

About 4,900 bison live within Yellowstone and some wander outside of park boundaries into Montana, where they can be killed due to concerns that they will transmit a deadly disease to cattle.

Get the Story:
Officials agree to slaughter 600 to 900 Yellowstone bison this winter (AP 1/6)
Bullock allows bison to roam outside Yellowstone (AP 12/22)

Related Stories
National Park Service eases on removals of Yellowstone bison (11/20)
National Park Service aims to remove bison from Yellowstone (11/19)
Native Sun News: Spreading the word on bison in Indian Country (09/28)
Fort Belknap Tribes dispute reported cause for deaths of bison (09/10)
Marsha Small: Loss of bison led to rise of diabetes among tribes (08/17)
Little Shell Tribe seeks greater access to bison from Yellowstone (06/17)
Tribal members protest killings of Yellowstone bison in Montana (02/11)
Yellowstone National Park starts transferring bison for slaughter (01/23)
Lakota activist Rosalie Little Thunder passes away at age of 64 (08/13)
Rosalie Little Thunder: Tribes participate in slaughter of bison (04/30)

Join the Conversation