BILLINGS, Mont. — A federal judge on Monday denied a request from wildlife advocates to stop the planned slaughter of hundreds of wild bison from Yellowstone National Park that were captured as they migrated into Montana.
In a 72-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Charles Lovell in Helena wrote that while the slaughter of bison may be “distasteful,” it is a “time-honored” method of controlling a disease carried by many of the animals.
An attorney for the plaintiffs said an appeal was planned.
An estimated 525 bison are being held in corrals along the border of the snowed-in park after trying to leave in recent weeks in search of food at lower elevations. The animals are generally prohibited in Montana under a federal-state agreement meant to protect livestock against the reproductive disease brucellosis.
So far, 217 of the captured animals have tested positive for exposure to the disease. Those will be first up for slaughter.
Park officials have said the remaining bison could be killed as well if the corrals at Stephens Creek near Gardiner are overwhelmed as animals continue to pour out of Yellowstone.
There was no immediate word on when shipments of bison to slaughter might commence.
Park officials have repeatedly denied media access to Stephens Creek, citing public safety, and have closed to the public a large area surrounding the corrals.
The ruling came in response to a restraining order request from several environmental and American Indian groups.
