Three-quarters of Americans disapprove of the government-sponsored slaughter of bison who wander outside Yellowstone National Park, according to a recent poll conducted for The Humane Society of the United States.

The poll, conducted by Penn, Schoen, & Berland Associates in April, sampled 900 adults throughout the United States. They were read the following statement: "The last remaining herd of wild buffalo in the U.S. can be killed if they wander outside Yellowstone National Park. Animal protection and environmental groups want to protect the wild buffalo, but cattle ranchers say that buffalo can pass disease to cattle who graze in the area. There has never been a documented case of disease transmission from wild buffalo."

The respondents were then asked if they approved or disapproved of a federal and state management plan that allows agency officials to haze and kill bison (popularly referred to as "buffalo") who wander outside of Yellowstone. Seventy-five percent of respondents said they disapproved, with 59% indicating that they "strongly disapproved" of the policy and 16% saying that they "somewhat disapproved" of it.

Only 18% of respondents expressed approval for the policy. When asked whether they approved or disapproved of the use of federal tax dollars to subsidize the killing of Yellowstone's bison, 80% of respondents expressed disapproval, and only 15% approved. The poll has a margin of error of +/- 3.3%.

"The U.S. House has a bill pending before it that would protect this unique herd of bison," said Bette Stallman, wildlife scientist with The HSUS. "Already 101 members of the House have signed on as co-sponsors. If any other members had any doubt about where their constituents stood on the issue, this poll should erase those doubts. Clearly, the time is now to stop the unnecessary and cruel slaughter of these animals."

Disapproval of the bison policy was consistent across political parties and across regions of the United States. Among Democrats, 85% of respondents disapproved of the policy, and 80% disapproved of the use of federal tax dollars to kill bison.

Among Republican respondents, 66% disapproved of the bison management policy, and 81% disapproved of the use of tax dollars. Regionally, disapproval was as strong in the western United States (where 79% disapprove) as in the northeast (80% disapprove); disapproval ranged from 71% to 75% in the south, midwest, and farm belt regions.

Unnecessary Slaughter

During the winter months, part of the bison population in Yellowstone National Park migrates outside the northern and western boundaries of the park to land (primarily publicly owned) in Montana, searching for better forage and looking to escape the deepest snow. During the summer months, a handful of ranchers also graze their cattle on nearby private land.

When cattle-grazing areas overlap with traditional bison migration routes and calving areas, ranchers and the Montana Department of Livestock (MDOL) claim that cattle are at risk of contracting brucellosis, a disease that may cause spontaneous abortions in cows. They make this claim even though the cattle and bison are rarely present on these lands at the same time. A variety of factors make the risk of disease transmission from wild bison to cattle negligible.

The National Park Service (NPS) and MDOL are among several agencies using a bison management plan that allows state and federal agencies to haze the animals back into Yellowstone when they cross the park's unmarked boundaries. As the harsh Yellowstone spring wears on and the need for forage drives more bison from the interior of the park, government agents typically switch from hazing the animals to a capture-test-slaughter strategy. All bison who test positive for antibodies to brucellosis are sent to slaughter—even though a positive result may not be any indication of their ability to pass the disease to others.

In the past ten years alone, the NPS and MDOL have shot or sent to slaughter 2,786 Yellowstone bison. In the winter and spring of 2002–2003 and 2003–2004, 523 bison were sent to slaughter or shot; many of these bison were rounded up before they had even stepped one hoof outside the park. And though the current test for brucellosis is itself problematic—it tests only for prior exposure to the disease, not for current infection—many of the bison who were sent to slaughter in the past two springs were not even tested first. In fact, the animals slaughtered in recent years have included bulls and calves, who are believed to be physically incapable of spreading this disease.

Support the Yellowstone Buffalo Preservation Act

Widespread concern over the fate of bison in and around Yellowstone National Park has resulted in the introduction of federal legislation to curtail the harassment and slaughter of these animals.

On November 5, 2003, Representatives Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) and Charles Bass (R-NH) introduced H.R. 3446, the Hinchey-Bass Yellowstone Buffalo Preservation Act. If passed, H.R. 3446 would prohibit state and federal agency officials from hazing, capturing, or killing Yellowstone bison, until certain specific conditions have been met. As of early May 2004, the bill had gained the bipartisan support of 101 co-sponsors.

The bill is also backed by the Greater Yellowstone Wildlife Alliance, a coalition of conservation, environmental, and animal welfare organizations, including The HSUS, the Bear Creek Council, Buffalo Field Campaign, Defenders of Wildlife, Endangered Species Coalition, The Fund for Animals, Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, National Parks Conservation Association, Natural Resources Defense Council, and The Wilderness Society.

What You Can Do

Please contact your U.S. representative and ask him or her to support the Hinchey-Bass Yellowstone Buffalo Preservation Act. To identify your elected officials and learn how to contact them, call The HSUS at 202-955-3668, or visit www.congress.org. The capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 can connect you with your U.S. representative and your two U.S. senators.