Josh Mogerman's Blog
Angered by lawsuit to save wolves, Stockgrowers offer lawsuit to kill buffalo
May 30, 2008
Posted by Josh Mogerman in Saving Wildlife and Wild Places
Yup, it sounds like a headline from The Onion, but I suppose that is part of the wacky world of western wildlife…
The Montana Stockgrowers Association posted a statement on the Home page of their Web site denouncing efforts by NRDC and other conservation organizations that are challenging the federal endangered species delisting of gray wolves in court...
…then they sued to force the state of Montana to harass buffalo off of private property near Yellowstone National Park…
They fear transmission of the cattle disease brucellosis. This, despite the fact that there are no cattle on the geographically isolated peninsula in question to get the disease…and the fact that there have been no documented cases of buffalo to cow transmission…and of course the pesky property rights of the people who actually own the land in question and welcome the buffalo.
I don’t want to diminish the importance of working through the issues of buffalo/cattle conflict. We feel that the needs of both sides on this debate need to be heard---and acted upon soon in a fair and democratic manner to end the unnecessary slaughter and harassment of an iconic national treasure. But to decry our efforts in support of wolves, while using the same tactics in favor of their own efforts seems a bit disingenuine, no?
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