What's Up At A Secret Government Lab Near Yellowstone?

NWF lately has been zeroing in on a mysterious research lab near the north boundary of Yellowstone National Park that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has been developing with a quiet diffidence that can only be described as secretive.

APHIS, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has joined with the Montana Department of Livestock in recent years in the routine killing of Yellowstone bison that stray beyond park boundaries. The agencies contend that the slaughter is necessary to stop the spread of the bacterial disease brucellosis from bison to domestic livestock, even though no case of transmission from wild bison to livestock has ever been documented.




www.nwf.org...

That is very interesting news. Not only a stark departure from NWF operating principles but the specific topic of bison, I had never second-guessed..

I do remember several years ago some articles describing the bison-bovine transfer theory. But now with NWF wondering, I wonder why private ranchers are allowed to raise bison for meat production when obviously the government fears there's a possible contangion problem..?

Kukla, what a point! Why CAN they raise bison, and I believe livestock as well, in the same general area, if this is such a concern.

ewww, this is interesting!

I just did a search through lexis on the agency in question. Sorry can't link but here's some small factoids..

They were moved into DHS after some initial objection from the agricultural lobby.

They requested more money in the last budget to buy more vaccines for foot-and-mouth..2 million to 25 million innoculations. All the other categories were above 2002 requests.

They’ve been charged with the indiscriminate use of sodium cyanide in the field. Case was dismissed though..

On another note, this article appears to be copyrighted in 2002.

hmmm...

*edit*Val, agreed this is very strange*

[Edited on 8-11-2003 by kukla]

Ever played Resident Evil....

Very interesting.

Goverment policy on this certian bovine affliction is to kill the infected Bison, therefore allowing greater population and range control and producing more space for cattle ranchers. Its just another way our goverment allied itself to big business, in this case, the meat industry.

Very interesting indeed. What I have come up with is that, Yellowstone is 1000 over their holding capacity of 3000 Bison.

The disease in question "Brucellosis(sp)" has never transferred to cattle, but there has been transfers to Elk.

The park will destroy any Bison that leaves Yellowstone and happens to return, even if it is not infected.

I don't understand this that much, but it seems very strange indeed.


Let me add this interesting twist I just stumbled upon as well.

Although the disease exists (Brucellosis) in Yellowstone, federal jurisdiction allows Montana to call itself Brucellosis free. Which in turn allows Montana to ship its cattle to other states without "expensive" testing. States that have to pay for expensive testing are Texas and Missouri.

Hmmmmm.

[Edited on 28-11-2003 by Dreamz]

[Edited on 28-11-2003 by Dreamz]