L' ACHARNEMENT CONTRE LES BISONS A REPRIS

SOURCE PHOTOS ET LE SITE COMPLET ICI 

 AVEC PETITIONS, ET  POSSIBILITES DE DONS FINANCIERS POUR  AIDER CEUX QUI SE BATTENT POUR LA LIBERTE DE BISONS, SI LE COEUR VOUS EN DIT...



The six-month long buffalo hunting season has resumed, with seven buffalo killed by treaty hunters this week. Officials have announced that hunting is now truly over for this season. At least this time none of the buffalo killed were pregnant females. A Montana Department of Livestock agent hazed a group of 14 buffalo away from visiting their relatives at a USDA-Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) GonaCon research facility, where captured wild buffalo are being held in captivity to be used in birth control experiments. The same agent attempted another haze on a different day, but came away with no buffalo. Two buffalo have been hit and killed on separate occasions, on Highway 89, which runs north/south from Livingston through the Gardiner Basin. The Gardiner Basin, one of North America's largest wildlife migration corridors, is always teeming with wildlife, and while most residents are used to watching out for elk, deer, big horn, and bison, with a 70mph speed limit, lots of animals are sadly struck and killed.

 Buffalo migrate back and forth in the Gardiner Basin, this time heading south, into Yellowstone.  Buffalo typically don't spend much time in this particular area of the Park as there is little food due to damage caused by livestock grazing before becoming part of Yellowstone National Park.  BFC file photo by Stephany.  Click for larger image.

Wild buffalo continue to mainly roam freely in the Gardiner Basin in the hundreds, bringing joy to many of Gardiner's residents and visitors to this unique and world renowned wildlife-rich region of America. It's really hard to describe how buffalo complete the landscape, how their presence lifts the spirit while they heal the land that they have for so long been absent from. How these lands that have evolved with the buffalo nation, that have been their inherent birthright for hundreds of thousands of years, embrace their brief return. Below are a few photos that will hopefully help illustrate how incredibly awesome it is to have the mighty, gentle buffalo temporarily roaming free on a fraction of their land. If you live in the Gardiner Basin or other parts of southwest Montana, please write a Letter to the Editor of our local and regional papers and also call Montana officials (see below) and express how much you love that wild buffalo are roaming free!

            The Gardiner Basin.  Teeming with wild buffalo -- something to celebrate and let the world know how awesome it is!  We have all worked long and hard for this.  BFC file photos.  Click for larger images.

In the Hebgen Basin, wild buffalo from the Central Herds are also moving west through the Madison River corridor toward Horse Butte and surrounding lands. Many look thin and tired, but very determined. Some are turning back, possibly to let friends know the living is a bit easier than up in the higher elevations.

    Buffalo seem to never get a break from the human race, or the weather; still, they press on, and BFC tries to help warn traffic with one of our hot pink signs.  On the right is a yellow Dept. of Transportation sign.  These buffalo finally made it safely across the road, heading towards Horse Butte.  BFC file photos.  Click for larger images.
Highway 191 cuts through the heart of this important passage, and buffalo must cross or travel along it to access the lands that they need. On either side of the Hebgen Basin, Highways 20 and 287 also present great challenges. Here, unlike in Gardiner, wildlife on the highways face more serious challenges with extended winter weather, three U.S. highways, an enormous amount of eighteen-wheeler traffic, and cross-country travelers constantly moving through. Patrols have been busy helping warn traffic of buffalo on the highway, and so far, no buffalo have been killed. But until safe passage infrastructure is put into place, it is sadly only a matter of time. BFC is doing the best that we can, but the state needs to do more.

As we move forward, we are going to gain more and more ground for wild buffalo, so we must be ready. We humans must be willing to make changes that will allow us to coexist. There are many changes afoot, so please see below for important ways you can participate in a positive future for wild buffalo!