Continued Harassment of an American Icon

Buffalo calf and Mom, Yellowstone National Park

The latest from the Buffalo Field Campaign, protectors of the 3600 wild buffalo at Yellowstone National Park:

"The wild Yellowstone buffalo are at the peak of their calving season, an extremely sensitive time of year for the gentle buffalo who have survived a long winter and must find good grasses and quiet places to give birth and raise their young. In the midst of the big, chocolaty brown buffalo are beautiful, tiny, red, delicate babies using their brand new senses to greet the earth for the first time, their little, wobbly legs walk with their proud, protective mothers, and are soon able to jump and play with the welcoming family members in the herd. Of course, after a few minutes of exploring and hopping around, very frequent naps in mama's protective warmth are a must.

Unfortunately, so many of these baby buffalos' first steps have been taken in fright, fleeing government-backed cowboy cops, trying to keep up with their moms and the herd, as they are run off of their native habitat for many miles back into Yellowstone.

This week, the Montana Department of Livestock (DOL), Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP), the National Park Service (NPS) and the U.S. Forest Service (FS) have been engaged, every single day, in pushing nearly all the buffalo they can find out of Montana, back into Yellowstone National Park. Contrary to a DOL/FWP press release issued Monday night that said buffalo would be "safely and humanely" hazed "off of private land," using horses, trucks and ATVs, the agents forced buffalo out from everywhere; including public land where they were supposed be allowed to live in peace through May 15th. This, according to the IBMP agency's own "tolerance" agreement, which they have broken again and again. There is nothing "safe" or "humane" about forcing wildlife off of their chosen ground. Now, not only is the agreement broken and there is no tolerance for wild buffalo anywhere in Montana, the agencies have stated that the May 15th date has been set for lethal removal if any buffalo set foot in Montana."