Over the objections of tribes and some conservationists, the state of Montana will transfer up to 88 bison from Yellowstone National Park to a ranch owned by media mogul Ted Turner.

The Fort Belknap Indian Community and the Fort Peck Tribes asked the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks for the animals. So did the state of Wyoming but all of the requests were rejected.

Turner said he will take care of the bison for five years, provided he can keep some of their offspring in order to offset the costs of keeping the animals. The herd in Yellowstone is the last genetically pure herd in the U.S.

Bison that wander out of Yellowstone are slaughtered in Montana under a federally-approved management plan that tribes opposed. State officials fear the animals will transfer brucellosis, a deadly disease, to cattle.

Get the Story:
Yellowstone bison going to Turner's ranch (AP 2/2)
Bison going to Turner ranch (The Bozeman Daily Chronicle 2/3)

Related Stories:
Tribes oppose transfer of bison to Ted Turner's ranch (1/8)
Northern Arapaho Tribe seeks Yellowstone bison (1/19)