The "stillbirth causing disease, Brucellosis has long been the "boogeyman" that Ranchers have used to keep free ranging Bison from being reintroduced across the American West.........As Brucellosis is found significantly more so in Elk(no one calls for the Elk to be killed or kept off the land),, the stonewalling from Cattlemen is a sham and a self-interest ploy to keep all available grazing land for their cattle.................If in fact the U.S. Interior Dept. gets its way, Yellowstone disease free(and pure strain) Bison would be introduced into the wild in Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota Arizona, New Mexico and perhaps other states where our largest hoofed browser historically called home circa AD 1500 when some estimated 50 million of the animals once roamed...........Gray Wolves should simultaneously be reintroduced with the Bison as these two species "historically danced with each other across the Prairies.................."I observe near all large gangues of Buffalow wolves and when the buffalow move those animals follow, and feed upon those that are killed by accident or those that are too pore or fat to keep up with the gangue"......................"We scarcely see a gang of buffaloe without observing a parsel of those faithfull shepherds on their skirts in readiness to take care of the mamed and wounded".... "The large wolf never barks, but howls as those of the atlantic states do"..................."The grass is naturally but short and at present has been rendered much more so by the graizing of the buffaloe"..............."The whole face of the country as far as the eye can reach looks like a well shaved bowling green, in which immence and numerous herds of buffaloe were seen feeding attended by their scarcely less numerous sheepherds the wolves".--------Capt. Clark of the Lewis & Clark Expedition(1805-06)

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Wild bison to be

 

reintroduced to swathes of

 American West for first time

 since end of 19th century 

• Yellowstone National Park officials begin consultation on reintroduction
• Would be first time bison roamed in American West for more than 100 years
• Recent U.S. Interior Department report concluded the animal could potentially be moved back on to land without posing risk to livestock 

By JAMES RUSH

PUBLISHED: 07:21 EST, 1 August 2014 | UPDATED: 10:37 EST, 1 August 2014

 
 
 
 
 

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Genetically pure wild bison could be reintroduced to vast swathes of the American West and allowed to roam in parts of their native habitat once again for the first time in more than 100 years.

While once millions of the powerful animals roamed the plains to the west of the Mississippi, their numbers were driven down by hunting to fewer than 50, who discovered refuge in Yellowstone National Park in the early 20th century. 

Officials at the park have now begun seeking public comment on plans which could see the animal reintroduced to states including Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Nebraska and South Dakota.

A herd of bison graze in Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Officials at the park have begun seeking public comment on plans which could see the animal reintroduced to swathes of the American West

A recent U.S. Interior Department report on bison concluded the animal could potentially be moved back on to public land it owned in such states without it posing a risk to livestock.

Concerns have been raised however that bison could bring disease - namely, brucellosis, an infection that causes stillbirths in cows and may have been transmitted to about half the bison in Yellowstone from exposure to cattle.

Wildlife managers at the park are now consulting on a plan that would see dozens of bison quarantined for a number of years so they did not contract the disease.

Those that are free of the disease could then be considered to be relocated, David Hallac, chief of Yellowstone's science and research branch, has said.

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Dozens of bison from the heard at Yellowstone have already been relocated to two Montana American Indian reservations in recent years.

Park officials, wildlife advocates and Native American groups are now eager to restore wild bison to more of their native habitat. 

A recent U.S. Interior Department report on bison concluded the animal could potentially be moved back on to public land it owned in such states without it posing a risk to livestock

Members of the public have now been invited to take part in the consultation which started on Wednesday and will go on to shape the final proposal, expected in about a year's time. The public comment period will close in September.

Hallac told Reuters establishing genetically pure wild bison across the West would mark a conservation milestone.

Ranchers however have raised concerns about the welfare of their cattle and safety of their property if even disease-free bison were reintroduced.

Jay Bodner, natural resource director for the Montana Stockgrowers Association, told Reuters: 'We have legitimate concerns about containment and damage to private property and we need to address the impact on ranchers that graze on federal lands.'

THE CORPS OF 

DISCOVERY--

ENTRIES REGARDING 

BUFFALO AND 

WOLVES BY 

CAPTAINS LEWIS &

CLARK(1805-06)

April 22nd [Lewis] –

 by present day 

Williston, ND
“I ascended to the top

 of the cut bluff this 

morning, from whence 

I had a most delightful

 view of the country, 

the whole of which

 exept the valley

 formed by the

 Missouri is void 

of timber or 

underbrush, exposing

 the first glance of the

 spectator immence 

herds of buffalo, elk,

 deer, & antelopes 

feeding in one common

 and boundless pasture

….Captain Clark informed 

me that he saw a large 

drove of buffalo persued 

by wolves today…”

Capt. Clark, September

 18, 1804--The large 

Wolves are verry 

numourous, they are

 of a light col^r large 

& has long hair

 with Coarse fur.

Capt. Clark, September 

21, 1804--at the Mouth 

of this river the two

 hunters a head left a

 Deer and its Skin 

also the Skin of a 

White wolf.

Capt. Clark, Oct 20, 

1804--The wind hard

 all Day from the N.E.

 & East, great 

numbers of buffalow 

Swimming the river

 I observe near all 

large gangues of 

Buffalow wolves 

and when the buffalow

 move those animals 

follow, and feed upon

 those that are killed

 by accident or those

 that are too pore or 

fat to keep up with 

the gangue.

Capt. Clark, December

 7, 1804-- all meat 

which is left out all 

night falls to the 

Wolves which are 

in great numbers, 

always in [the

 neighbourhood of] 

the Buffalows.

While on the Missouri 

above the Yellowstone 

River -
Capt. Lewis, May 5, 

1805--The large woolf

 found here is not as 

large as those of the 

atlantic states. they 

are lower and thicker

 made shorter leged. 

their colour which is

 not effected by the 

seasons, is a grey or

 blackish brown and 

every intermediate 

shade from that to a 

creen [cream] coloured 

white; these wolves 

resort [to] the woodlands

 and are also found in
the plains, but never 

take refuge in the 

ground or burrow so

 far as I have been 

able to inform myself. 

we scarcely see a 

gang of buffaloe without 

observing a parsel of

 those faithfull shepherds

 on their skirts in readiness

 to take care of the mamed

 wounded. the large wolf

 never barks, but howls 

as those of the atlantic 

states do.

Capt. Lewis, May 14, 

1805--I felt an inclination

 to eat some veal and 

walked on shore and

 killed a very fine

 buffaloe calf and a 

large woolf, much the 

whitest I had seen,

 it was quite as white

 as the wool of the 

common sheep.

Capt. Lewis, July 8,

 1806--I killed a very

 large and the whitest

 woolf I have seen.
Capt. Lewis, July 10,

 1806--saw vast herds

 of buffaloe in the

 evening below us on

 the river. we he[a]rd

 them bellowing about

 us all night. vast 

assemblages of wolves.

Capt. Clark, May 29,

 1805--Great numbers 

of wolves were about 

this place & verry 

jentle. I killed one of 

them with my spear.

Capt. Lewis, July 17, 

1806--the grass is 

naturally but short 

and at present has

 been rendered much

 more so by the

 graizing of the buffaloe,

 the whole face of the 

country as far as the

 eye can reach looks

 like a well shaved 

bowling green, in
which immence and

 numerous herds of 

buffaloe were seen 

feeding attended by

 their scarcely less 

numerous sheepherds

 the wolves.