FWP Seeks Bison Relocation Proposals

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Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking proposals from tribes, private groups and land-management agencies capable of caring for 50 to 100 disease-free bison from Montana.

The bison are part of a four-year old research projected directed by FWP and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service at a bison quarantine facility near Corwin Springs north of Yellowstone National Park. The aim of the project is to capture, raise and breed bison calves from Yellowstone National Park that are free of brucellosis exposure, a disease that causes some pregnant cows, including domestic cattle, to abort their young.

In this phase of the program, officials are offering quarantined bison and their calves to an agency or organization capable of caring for the animals for an additional five years.

Proposals must include a bison conservation plan, and describe suitable habitat and secure living space for the animals. Applicants must be willing to participate in continued disease testing and monitoring that will be conducted by state and federal officials over the next five years. The quarantined bison and their offspring cannot be used or sold as commercial livestock and would eventually be managed as a wild herd.

For more information, visit FWP online at   fwp.mt.gov. Click Recent Public Notices. Proposals, which are due Aug. 10,   can be sent to Bison Translocation, Wildlife Division, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, P.O. Box 200701, Helena, MT   59620-0701, or via e-mail to Bisonphaseiv@mt.gov.   For information call: 406-444-2612.

 

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