Subject: Killing Yellowstone's Wild Buffalo

Subj: Thank you!

Date: 4/25/99 12:19:50 PM Mountain Daylight Time

From: cmcr@wildrockies.org (Cold Mountain, Cold Rivers)

Thank you for taking the time to sign on to the petition for the

buffalo!

This mailing is a brief update to let you know that thousands of folks

have signed on to the petition. It has been heartwarming that so many

people around the world care so deeply about the buffalo after watching

the slaughter of the herd by my State of Montana. We have not reached

9600 signatures yet which would be 100 signatures for each buffalo

killed so far this year. So please take a moment to pass the petition

URL (this note) on to 5 more folks. If we all do this, we should be

able to double the signatures within the next week before the petitions

are presented in DC. It is critical that federal officials know how

many folks are concerned about Montana's slaughter of the buffalo.

The petition is available for online sign-on at

http://www.wildrockies.org/buffpet/

If you live in the DC area and would like to help with the presentation

by making banners, drumming or attending; please email your phone

number to me at buffpetition@wildrockies.org and I will pass it on to

our volunteer DC organizer.

Also, please let me know of any demos, ceremonies or events going on in

your area from May1-3 in support of the buffalo and I will post them on

the web site.

We will mail you another update after the presentation of the petitions

to let you know how Babbit, Dombeck and Clinton respond.

Thanks for signing on and here's a brief update of how the buffalo are

doing...

May 1st is the time when the Montana Department of Livestock holds

their military style haze of the buffalo back into the invisible

Yellowstone National Park boundaries. (footage of last years haze is

at http://www.wildrockies.org/buffalo/ on the video page).

Currently, the buffalo face a rough couple of weeks. This critical

calving time before the spring grass begins togrow and is available for

food is a horrendous time for the animals to be subjected to a grueling

haze forcing them to flee from guns and helicopters and run the 8-9

miles back towards the park. Often, young calves cannot keep up. Six

buffalo died as a direct result of inhumane handling during last weeks

hazing. The DOL has claimed responsibility for the four that died

while in their capture facility, but not for the two that died after

being released onto Horse Butte with massive bodily injury from gore

wounds incurred in the DOL trap. "The Department of Livestock is

incapable of "managing" the Yellowstone buffalo herd. No animal should

be treated this way," said Buffalo Field Campaign spokesperson Sarah

K. Chalmers.

One calf that was orphaned when the DOL sent it's mother to slaughter

died recently. This calf struggled for

weeks, wandering along highway 191, the only area with enough open area

with shallow snow-depths for a small buffalo to exist alone, seperated

from the herd. This was not the only calf in the same situation this

winter. As well as orphaned calves, the Department of Livestock's

hazing last week resulted in the deaths of two pregnant females on the

butte. Although they escaped the hazing, the subsequent loss of

support from their herd made it impossible for them to survive.

Buffalo choose Horse Butte for a calving ground every year. Their

birthing period depends on the weather and availability of food. Horse

Butte provides an ideal calving ground, as its south-facing, open

slopes are the first areas to melt off in the spring.

96 buffalo have died as a result of actions taken by the DOL this

year. In none of these deaths was there any danger of brucellosis

transmission to cattle, as no cattle were present within dozens of

miles when the animals were taken to slaughter. "The persistence of

the DOL in killing all pregnant females makes one wonder if they are

actually involved in population control, rather than disease

management. The buffalo need space to graze and give birth to new

calves that strengthen the herd before their natural migration to the

park," Chalmers said.

Two females have calved on Horse Butte this week. Volunteers for

Buffalo Field Campaign witnessed these births and realized the need to

keep their distance. "We will protect these new lives from the

assault of the Department of Livestock to the best of our ability.

These mothers should be able to birth in peace without being hazed and

later dying at a slaughterhouse, days after giving birth," stated

Buffalo Field Campaign volunteer Kelly Needs.

Fears that cattle may contract brucellosis from the fetal matter left

by buffalo is unfounded as the brucella organism is only active for a

few hours once exposed to sunlight. Cattle will not be trucked in to

the Horse Butte grazing alloment until mid-June or later, per an

agreement between the Forest Service and the allotment permitees that

allows at least a thirty day grace period fromthe time buffalo leave

Horse Butte to migrate back into Yellowstone. Harassment of buffalo on

Horse Butte is unnecessary if the goal of the DOL is to keep Montana

cattle brucellosis-free. The cattle being brought to Horse Butte in

June are from Idaho and must be vaccinated before crossing the state

line. "The brucellosis scare is a ruse. Not to protect cattle, but to

eliminate buffalo from coveted grass lands," spokesperson John Reese

stated.

Video Footage Available upon Request (buffalo@wildrockies.org) .

Scanned still photos available from our website,

www.wildrockies.org/buffalo

For the buffalo!

____________________________

Buffalo Field Campaign, the group working 365 days in the field is

still trying to raise May rent and food monies (donations are tax

deductible) . If you can help, please email buffalo@wildrockies.org

_________________________________

___________________________________________________________

Please sign the Buffalo Petition at

http://www.wildrockies.org/buffpet

Together our voices will be heard!

for the buffalo!

---------------------

Pass this on to 94 more folks in honor of the 94 buffalo that were

slaughtered this year!

(see death count at http://www.wildrockies.org/buffalo )

There are also addresses of the people responsible for this slaughter

on the "what you can do " page at this site if you would like to write

subsequent letters or faxes.

Cold Mountain, Cold Rivers

PO Box 7941

Missoula, Montana USA 59807

406-728-0867 phone

406-327-1209 fax

cmcr@wildrockies.org

http://www.wildrockies.org/cmcr

Take action today! Sign the petition to protect

the last free-roaming herd of wild buffalo!

http://www.wildrockies.org/buffpet

Psssttt ...... Tell your friends too!