Yellowstone looks at new bison plan, less focus on slaughter

By BRETT FRENCH
The Billings Gazette

Billings, Mont. (AP) — Yellowstone National Park is developing a new bison management plan that officials say will put greater emphasis on alternatives to shipping the animals to slaughter when they leave the park and enter Montana. The shipment-to-slaughter program has been a controversial piece of Yellowstone’s management of bison for decades. This year the goal is to remove 600 to 900 bison through a combination of the slaughter program, tribal and sport hunting. Killing another 200 animals may also be authorized if conditions warrant. The meat and hides from slaughtered bison are distributed to participating tribes.