Bison calves that leave the Yellowstone National Park will be part of a quarantine experiment conducted by the state of Montana.

Wildlife agents will take 200 calves and test them for brucellosis, a deadly disease. If they test negative, they will be placed in a quarantine facility and monitored.

The project is expected to last 10 years at a cost of $560,000. It is unrelated to Gov. Brian Schweitzer's proposal to send healthy bison to tribes in an effort to rid the Yellowstone herd of brucellosis. Ranchers in the state fear bison that leave the park will transmit the disease to cattle.

Get the Story:
Wildlife officials to test quarantine of bison (The Billings Gazette 1/20)

Relevant Links:
The Inter-Tribal Bison Cooperative - http://www.intertribalbison.org
Montana Department of Livestock - http://www.liv.state.mt.us
Yellowstone National Park - http://www.nps.gov/yell

Related Stories:
Montana governor proposes sending bison to tribes (1/19)
Controversial bison hunt in Montana killed (01/11)
Montana proposes rules for Yellowstone bison hunt (06/08)
Bison hazed back into Yellowstone National Park (05/02)
Mont. lawmakers still working on bison hunt bill (04/17)
Editorial: Bison hunt is no better than slaughter (04/09)
Indian lawmakers in Mont. oppose bison hunt (4/7)
Wandering bison hazed back into Yellowstone (4/3)
Large group of bison wander out of Yellowstone (4/2)
Less than half of slaughtered bison had disease (03/19)
Norton asked to end bison slaughter (3/13)
Nearly 250 Yellowstone bison slaughtered last week (3/10)
Slaughter of Yellowstone bison continues (3/7)
Hundreds of Yellowstone bison rounded up (3/6)
Nearly 150 Yellowstone bison being slaughtered (3/5)
About 100 Yellowstone bison headed for slaughter (3/4)
Opinion: Yellowstone bison slaughter is necessary (02/18)
Growth of bison herd prompts fears of more deaths (01/27)
Cow spotted in Yellowstone not hazed (10/23)
Three Yellowstone bison slaughtered (10/03)
Judge orders bison documents released (7/24)
Opinion: Stop slaughtering bison (6/7))
Ruling affecting bison praised (5/31)
Yellowstone bison death toll mounts (5/23)
Bison protesters plead guilty (5/9)
Greater slaughter of bison feared (4/19)
John Potter: Murdering Bison (12/17)
John Potter: Yellowstone Buffalo, Wolves (3/26)
Yellowstone bison slaughter resumes (3/23)
Yellowstone bison agreement finalized (12/21)