* Note: While the 2014 slaughter has ended, unless we convince Governor Bullock otherwise, next year will mean more killing for Yellowstone's bison.
Every winter, Sabina S. is filled with excitement when she sees majestic Yellowstone bison crossing her property -- but she also feels a sense of dread.
Sabina loves living near Yellowstone, but she knows that their wandering outside the park often means a death sentence for these amazing creatures.
In harsh winters like this one, Yellowstone's bison -- the last genetically pure wild bison in the country -- naturally migrate outside the park in a desperate search for food, where the National Park Service rounds them up and ships them off to slaughter.
Nearly 600 wild bison, symbols of the American West, were needlessly killed this year.
Any day now, Montana's Governor Steve Bullock will decide whether to protect wild bison by granting them year-round access to public lands outside the park. It's critical that we put pressure on the governor now!
Sign the petition to Governor Bullock: Protect Yellowstone's historic wild bison -- let them roam!
Since 1985, nearly 7,200 bison have been killed because of misguided concerns that they might transmit a disease called brucellosis to cattle -- but such a transmission has never been documented.
But there is hope -- there are hundreds of thousands of acres of available public land next to Yellowstone that are part of the bison's natural habitat. Last year, state agencies released a historic proposal to grant them access to that land. It's time for the governor to listen to science, history, and the grassroots -- not campaigns of misinformation and fear.
Bison are historical icons of the American West, integral to American Indian life and cherished by generations of Yellowstone visitors. James Holt, a member of the Nez Perce tribe who has worked tirelessly to protect bison, put it best: "It does them a disservice and is a disrespect to them that they are being treated in this manner."
It is a travesty that Yellowstone's iconic and beloved bison are being needlessly killed simply because they need access to public lands to survive the winter. With time running out, it is up to us to send a powerful message to Governor Bullock -- let Yellowstone bison roam!
Send your message and tell Governor Bullock to protect Yellowstone's bison by allowing them access to public lands!
In it together,
Ashley Allison
SierraRise Senior Campaigner