Over a Quarter of Yellowstone’s Bison Are Set to Be Killed this Year! Let’s Stop This Tragedy

Bison are powerful symbols of the American Wild West, but the ignorant over-hunting of this great species almost led to their total extinction in the late 19th- and early 20th-Centuries. Some of America’s first conservationists helped bring the bison populations back from the inevitable, showing just how valuable and impactful Conservation efforts can be. Unfortunately, the ignorant hunting of this species has continued and is putting these grand animals at risk of extinction yet again.

Yellowstone National Park has long been a safe refuge for bison, but these populations are being targeted by governing authorities. Yellowstone’s biologists counted 4,816 bison at the park this past August, which is a major drop from the 5,500 counted in 2016. And now officials have ordered for the capture and slaughter of 1,250 of these remaining bison, which is over a quarter of the bison population in Yellowstone.

When pressed to explain the logic behind this senseless mass capture and slaughter, officials gave bogus excuses akin to those used for culling and slaughtering America’s wild horses – to protect cattle.

Supporters of the bison hunt falsely claim that Yellowstone’s bison spread a disease called brucellosis to cattle, a claim that has been widely disproven by scientists. Bison first contracted the disease from domestic cattle in the early 20th-Century, but the prevalence is now very small within herds, has little impact on the health of the wild animals, and there has been no single case of evidence that shows that wild bison have ever spread the disease to domestic cattle.

A petition has been set up to protect this great species from this meaningless slaughter. Please take a moment to stand up for American bison and sign this petition demanding the end to the hunt of this iconic American animal.

And please remember to share this important news with your network to increase Support for this serious cause!

Image Source: Pixabay