Yellowstone National Park has caused controversy with its annual slaughter of some of the bison roaming the park. But now, reports The Guardian, Yellowstone is looking to relocate the animals rather than cull them. The original plan was that the park would deliver bison to Native American tribes for slaughter. The annual cull helps reduce the risk of bison passing brucellosis on to Montana’s cattle.
The aim is to maintain Yellowstone’s bison number at 3,000. This figure was agreed upon by Montana and the federal government in 2000. A spokeswoman for the park said there are legal challenges in transporting bison across state lines. But the relocation plan should be in place for 2016.
Currently, culling of the animals would not be completely eradicated by the relocation plan. But the new approach could help dampen a controversy that has raged for years.