2,400 Yellowstone bison dead (Only 2,300 alive according to the Park Service)
Buffaloed on Apr 19th 2008
2,400 Yellowstone bison dead Jackson Hole News and Guide.
According to the article 1,700 Yellowstone buffalo have been killed in the greatest slaughter since the 19th Century but the winter kill has taken many more and there is a while until green up starts in the Park. The number 2,300 is significant in the Interagency Bison Management Plan because it is a threshold below which management activities have to change to non-lethal management. Unfortunately non-lethal management still includes hazing which can still kill buffalo in their weakened state.
“There’s still a lot of snow. We are days away [from when plants will emerge] at this point. It’s not imminent, but it’s coming soon” according to Yellowstone spokesman Al Nash.
The Park estimates that there are only 2,300 buffalo left alive but many of them are still struggling and may yet die. This is a dangerously low population for a species to be in and there is much conversation recently of the Endangered Species Act.
These bulls were seen in the Upper Lamar Valley sleeping on the road on April 11, 2008.
Filed in Brucellosis, Buffalo, National Park Service, Yellowstone Buffalo | 4 responses so far
Indamani Apr 19th 2008 at 09:48 am 1
The indiscriminate slaughter of the Yellowstone bison defies all logic if the IBMP want to keep a viable population of the animal in the park. I think the IBMP have a hidden agenda to weaken the gene pool of this magnificent animal, thus, systematically killing them off.
Buffaloed Apr 19th 2008 at 10:17 am 2
You very well may be correct but even if you are not correct about the agenda of the IBMP the effects of it are those that you describe.
These buffalo are not the ONLY genetically pure buffalo in North America but they cannot breed with any of the other populations which not only puts this population at risk but puts others at risk too. There needs to be genetic interchange between metapopulation segments to maintain the genetic diversity. If that doesn’t occur then the populations need to be maintained at higher than the minimum 2,300 population. With the recent information which indicates that there are at least 2 distinct populations in Yellowstone I submit that there should be a minimum or 2,300 in each herd to maintain the diversity.
Read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metapopulation
and this: http://www.ento.vt.edu/~sharov//PopEcol/lec12/metpop.html
Metapopulation concepts are very very important with regard to bison management.
Stephanp Apr 21st 2008 at 01:09 pm 3
That 2,300 number keeps dropping daily.
It’s hard to believe that the Yellowstone Rangers still proudly display the Bison boldly on their patch as they haze them in their winter weaken state.
Indamani Apr 21st 2008 at 07:21 pm 4
To think that the National Park Service is doing this to an animal that they’re supposed to be protecting instead of slaughtering is beyond comprehension. I’m deeply saddened by all that’s been happening to these poor animals.