Judge Puts Limit on Yellowstone Buffalo Kills

A judge refused Tuesday to block government agencies from killing bison that wander out of Yellowstone National Park, although he limited the number that can be shot in a program to prevent the animals from spreading disease to cattle herds.

No more than 100 bison can be killed without a court hearing, U.S. District Judge Charles C. Lovell said. He said he does not want a repeat of last winter, when almost 1,100 bison were shot or shipped to slaughter.

Lovell ruled in a lawsuit filed by several conservation groups and the Inter-Tribal Bison Cooperative challenging an interim management plan aimed at blocking bison from leaving the park.

The plan is designed to keep the animals from spreading brucellosis. The disease causes cows to abort their calves. In humans, it causes undulant fever.

Montana ranchers fear that if infected bison are allowed out of the park, they could be required to spend millions of dollars to test their cattle and certify them disease-free before shipment to other states.

The conservation and tribal groups argued that state and federal agencies should do another environmental analysis of the program to better measure the potential impact on the Yellowstone bison herd, which numbers about 2,000.