BY MATTHEW BROWN
Associated Press
CORWIN SPRINGS, Mont. – For the first time since the 1800s, a small group of wild bison were herded Wednesday through fresh-fallen snow to reach their historical grazing grounds north of Yellowstone National Park.
As pronghorn antelope and mule deer scattered to avoid the procession, park employees and state livestock agents on horseback pushed the 25 bison about ten miles down the Yellowstone River valley. It took about three hours to reach an open meadow in the Gallatin National Forest, where the animals will be allowed to remain until spring.
The move could provide at least some relief from government-sponsored mass slaughters of the iconic Western animals, often called buffalo. Past winter journeys by bison seeking to graze at lower elevations have been blocked over fears that a disease carried by some could infect cattle.