Quarantine & Transfer
Purpose
Quarantine is used to identify brucellosis-free Yellowstone bison. Such bison, once determined to be brucellosis-free, can help establish new conservation and cultural herds of plains bison, enhance cultural and nutritional opportunities for American Indians, and reduce shipments of Yellowstone bison to slaughter facilities.
Background
Up until 2019, rehoming bison had not been a viable option because of the possible spread of brucellosis. To help stop the spread of the disease, Montana law prohibits the live transfer of Yellowstone bison to new areas unless they are first certified as brucellosis free. Brucellosis is a contagious disease that affects bison, elk, and domestic cows.
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Proving a bison does not have brucellosis requires more than testing them one time during a round up. Bison must be placed in a fenced quarantine pasture with similarly aged animals and repeatedly testing them for one to three years. During 2005-2012, APHIS developed and verified procedures for identifying Yellowstone bison that don't have brucellosis. Yellowstone National Park, the Fort Peck Tribes, the State of Montana, and APHIS signed MOUs for implementing the quarantine procedures. Yellowstone continues to roundup hundreds of bison that migrate out of the park each winter, but beginning in 2018, some captured bison are moved into the Bison Conservation Transfer Program.
Quarantine Procedures
Identifying Brucellosis-Free Bison
ANIMAL SELECTION: Bison corralled near the northern park boundary are tested for brucellosis. Some of those testing negative are placed into TEST GROUPS according to sex and age. Each test group lives in a separate fenced pasture in the QUARANTINE FACILITY.
*Infographic coming soon
Bison Transfer to Tribes
In 2018, Yellowstone National Park, in coordination with several federal and state partners and Tribal Nations, started the Bison Conservation Transfer Program to identify migrating bison that do not have brucellosis and transfer them to new areas as an alternative to sending them to slaughter. Since 2019, over 400 bison have been transferred to the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Of those, over 240 were distributed by the InterTribal Buffalo Council and given to about 25 other member Tribes and other entities across at least 12 states.
Role of the InterTribal Buffalo Council
ITBC is committed to reestablishing buffalo herds on Tribal lands in a manner that promotes cultural enhancement, spiritual revitalization, ecological restoration, and economic development.
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ITBC transfers brucellosis free bison from Fort Peck to requesting and ready Tribes through its Yellowstone Bison Surplus Program.