Judge Asked to End Yellowstone Bison Kills

(BLLINGS, Mont.) — A coalition of environmental and American Indian groups say they have filed a suit against two federal agencies to stop the mass slaughter of bison that migrate outside Yellowstone National Park in search of food.

During the last decade, federal agencies working with the state of Montana have captured and shipped to slaughter more than 3,300 bison to prevent the spread of the disease brucellosis to cattle.

A lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court asks for the National Park Service and Forest Service to be barred from participating in the program.

The suit says the agencies are ignoring their responsibility to preserve the animals. It also claims the threat of brucellosis has been overstated.

Yellowstone's 3,000 bison comprise one of the largest concentrations of the animals in the world.

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