Bison And Brucellosis

<blockquote>"For Yellowstone bison to be involved in the big picture of bison conservation, they've got to be brucellosis-free," said Tom Roffe, a wildlife veterinarian and biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. And that's why the animals here are being corralled and handled, poked and prodded.<br />n<br />nRoffe has been pushing his agency for the past year to take a new approach to the way it manages the handful of bison herds on refuges around the West.<br />n<br />n"We're just starting to broach that topic," he said. The goal is not specifically to create more bison, but to ensure their genetics are diverse and preserved, to keep the species healthy, to keep the options open if the time comes to open more land for bison.<br />n<br />nFor decades, people have called for restoring bison, for returning them to their natural role on the prairies. But the shaggy giants are never going to repopulate the American West, Roffe said. They'll never again wander from Texas to Montana and back.<br />n<br />nThere are just too many roads, fields and people now. But that doesn't mean there are no places for the bison, although those places haven't been identified yet. And if bison from the park are to play a part in any of that, they've got to be free of brucellosis.</blockquote><br />n<br />nI enjoyed <a href="http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/12/24/news/state/60-bison.txt">this article</a>. It's good to hear a federal official admit that Brucellosis is a factor in the Bison picture of Yellowstone Park. The Federal Government requires the states to control Brucellosis it is only right for the Federal Government to control the Brucellosis in the herds it controls.<br />n<br />nYou will note that what the article talks about is not a proposed solution to the Brucellosis problem in the park. It's to be used to get Brucellosis free Bison out of the park to other areas. I'm not opposed to this at all, it sounds like a decent plan. I do question where they want to start up new herds. <br />n<br />nAre these areas where cattle do not run? If they want to keep the bison genetically pure, no cattle genes, how are they going to keep the bison from interbreeding with cattle. They are genetically similar enough to breed together. I've been told that the last bison in my area were hunted down for just this reason, they were breeding with the cattle.<br />n<br />nThis whole thing is interesting but the most interesting thing was the feds admitting that Brucellosis is a problem. It's nice to hear.<br />n<br />n<strong>Hear reason, or she'll make you feel her. Benjamin Franklin</strong>