Hundreds of Yellowstone buffalo face slaughter
Nearly 400 wild buffalo from Yellowstone national park in Montana face cull amid fears of disease outbreak. Hundreds of buffalo from America's last great remaining wild herd could be sent for slaughter after being driven from Yellowstone national park by high snow and harsh temperatures, conservationists warned today. Nearly 400 buffalo have been captured and penned on the northern boundaries of the park after wandering in search of food during an unusually severe winter. Authorities were testing the animals for exposure to brucellosis, a disease that can cause pregnant cattle to abort. Those that test positive will be sent for slaughter under a controversial programme intended to protect Montana's cattle industry.
"It's a nightmare that is going on here," said Jeff Welsch, a spokesman for the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. "One third of the herd was slaughtered under the same scenario in the winter of 2007-2008, and now we are going back to a similar situation."