8-24 FB Bison Statistics

 The recent shooting of 2 bull bison that had made their way out of Yellowstone National Park was based on science and statistics.Buffalo being a very strong and noble part of our American history bring sorrowful emotions when they have to be sacrificed. However, it is common knowledge that bison carry brucellosis and that horrible disease can be easily transmitted to cattle herds. So when 2 bison made their way out of the park and into Idaho they had to be euthanized. I asked Idaho chief veterinarian Dr. Bill Barton to explain the rationale: “Any suspicion that they might have carried brucellosis are you just did not want to take the chance?  Just didn’t want to take the chance. The sero-prevalence which is an indication of exposure or  infection in the wild bison in the park is a pretty high number. It is somewhere between 60 to 62% in the last study were sero-positive for brucellosis within the park. So regardless of the risk of transmission, the potential is there so we don’t want those bison bulls breeding with our domestic cattle. There have been critics of this policy but unlike the difficult to get along with media I agree with the decision and thank you. Well you are a rare commodity ( laughter).