YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (NMB) – As many as 900 bison from Yellowstone National Park are set to be shot, sent to slaughter, or quarantined this winter due to concerns that they could spread the disease brucellosis to cattle.
If that number is reached, 200 more bison could be captured or hunted before spring.
Yellowstone’s bison count stands at around 5,450, many of which often head north to Montana in the winter. There are no documented cases of wild bison spreading brucellosis to livestock.
Park officials say the removal of bison should lead to stabilizing the population, which is expected to increase back to current numbers in the spring due to calving.
