Bison slaughter planned if migration occurs

Yellowstone National Park plans to capture and ship to slaughter potentially hundreds of wild bison as they migrate into Montana beginning as soon as mid-February. The effort is aimed at reducing the park's burgeoning population of about 3,900 bison. It comes as neighboring Montana is proposing to let the animals roam more freely in the 70,000-acre Gardiner Basin north of the park. Although the moves appear contradictory, officials say keeping bison numbers under control is key to increasing public tolerance for the animals. A mild winter so far has slowed the bison migration. That could scuttle the slaughter plans if conditions persist. The slaughter would target female animals that test positive for exposure to the disease brucellosis. About 50 bison would be diverted to an animal contraception research program.