Yellowstone National Park has decided not to target bison with biobullets as part of a proposed plan to vaccinate the animals against brucellosis.
Bison is still considered to be a rarity in the park since they are some of the only surviving ancestors of the wild plains bison, according to Liberty Voice.
National Park Service (NPS) Director Sue Masica made the current management plan for bison official, which is to have occasional syringe vaccinations for calves and yearlings that are caught outside the northern boundary of Yellowstone, Seattlepi reported.
Yellowstone and farmers from Montana have had an issue with the bison because the farmers fear that the bison, which sometimes cross over through Montana, can infect their cattle herds with brucellosis, Liberty Voice reported. When the bison from the park were infected by domestic cattle in 1917, they have since developed immunity to the disease, while the cattle have not. There haven't been any cases of bison infecting the cattle, but farmers remain concerned about their livestock getting sick.
The plan to use air guns to remotely vaccinate bison was rejected for several reasons, one of which was the physiological and behavioral reaction the bison would have. Experts also stated that the bison could get re-infected by the elk in Yellowstone, making the plan pointless. The vaccination was also determined to be ineffective with an unreliable method of delivery.
Cost was perhaps the biggest reason to reject the plant, and would range between $300,000 and $500,000 per year, Liberty Voice reported. Spokesman Al Nash said that millions of taxpayer money would be spent over a 30-year period on a plan that might not work. Nash added that the plan wouldn't have any effect on managing and reducing herding and hunting.
The decision to not use biobullets on the bison was made after a 30-day public review, Liberty Voice reported. The record of decision was signed on March 3 and vetoed the plan while Masica restored the current vaccination plan for bison calves and yearlings.
