Buffalo Get Double Hit from Ted Turner and MTDOL

BFC file photo.

Tuesday was full of events.

I'll start off with that this was the day it was announced that ALL 88 buffalo who've been in quarantine since 2005, will go to Ted Turner. They won't be hunted.

Turner’s representatives said the Yellowstone bison are too valuable to hunt and will be mixed in with a herd being conserved on another ranch he owns in New Mexico. New Mexico?!
No wonder the buffalo were given to Turner. He's removing them from the state. Exactly what Montana wants!

There were other options other than Turner of course, but these included sending the buffalo to Guernsey State Park in Wyoming, to the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation and to the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. But, Wyoming is too close to Montana and the Reservations are in Montana.

Turner had said that if some of the animals went to Wyoming, Montana would get fewer bison back because he needed a certain number to justify his expenses. Those costs are estimated at $480,000 over five years, or about $2,500 for every bison he will keep.

Turner is going to keep the animals hostage for five years and in return wants 75 percent of their offspring, an estimated 188 bison. He already owns more than 50,000 beefalo but wants the Yellowstone animals because of their pure genetics. Montana would get an estimated 150 bison back. My question is what on earth would Montana do with them other than slaughter them for their heads and hides.

"There were a lot of people that wanted them on public lands. We're not ready," said Montana wildlife chief David Risley. "The Turner option, all it does is buy us time to come up with a long term solution."(More lies...)

Russell Miller with Turner Enterprises said, "We welcome the opportunity to be partners with FWP in the stewardship of these iconic bison." (and make a profit off of them)

Miller said the deal with the state is to (I love this) "conserves Yellowstone bison genetics and increases the number of bison available to populate public and tribal lands." What a bunch of B.S.!

In addition to all this, the MTDOL held a secret "public" IBMP meeting Tuesday. Thanks to BFC's commitment to the buffalo they were on the phone with Department of Livestock (DOL) and Yellowstone National Park officials to learn what's in store for the remaining buffalo in YNP.

What were some IBMP changes--Less tolerance.

• begin hazing and capturing buffalo if more than 100 migrate out of the Park's western boundaries between February 15 and April 10.
• DOL will erect the Horse Butte buffalo trap, and they fully intend to slaughter. When BFC asked if IBMP partners would need to come to consensus on these drastic management changes, Marty Zaluski said no. Montana can do whatever it wants. Period.

You can contact Yellowstone Superintendent Suzanne Lewis and Gallatin National Forest Supervisor Mary Ericson and tell them to drop out of the IBMP.

The other event of the day was another swarm of earthquakes in YNP that lasted for 6 hours. The 2 largest quakes were 2.8 and 3.1. No coincidence.

Intelligent Vet says Bison are Brucellosis Free!

Montana has more plans for YNP buffalo who are in quarantine. In addition to sending 74 to Ted Turner to make him wealthier than he already is, the state is considering moving 14 bison to Wyoming’s Guernsey State Park. Another plan is to go back to the ol' fashioned way of doing things and just slaughter them. All at taxpayer's expense of course.

At a forum with ranchers and farmers a state vet, Jim Logan, said very supportive comments for the buffalo, "The bison have been tested enough that it is crystal clear that they are not infected. More than likely they have resistance factors in their systems, wherever they go, they are going to go there as a clean herd." (FINALLY someone with intelligence.)

Here's the draft proposal from FWP on moving the buffalo. http://fwp.mt.gov/publicnotices/notice_2265.aspx.

Send your comments to tell FWP NOT to ship out these buffalo and to base their decisions on science rather than greed.
QFBison@mt.gov.