Yellowstone National Park Proposes Plan to Kill 1,000 Bison

Yellowstone National Park has proposed a plan to kill 1,000 bison this upcoming winter, park officials announced Wednesday. The plan will gather the animals that have wandered off and give them to the Native American Tribes.

"No formal decision has been made, but the park proposal is for 1,000 fewer bison," park spokeswoman Amy Bartlett said.

The culling, which happens every year, is meant to reduce the risk of infection by a bacterial disease known as brucellosis. Bison, also known as buffalo that wander off by the Montana border could infect cattle if they are carrying the bacteria.

Over the past years, ranchers and wildlife advocates have debated over the annual culling. Ranchers are not only worried about brucellosis, they are also concerned about the bison grazing the lands that are needed to feed livestock.

"Through the legal agreement the National Park Service has to do this," said Yellowstone spokeswoman Sandy Snell-Dobert reported by FOX News. "If there was more tolerance north of the park in Montana for wildlife, particularly bison as well as other wildlife, to travel outside the park boundaries, it wouldn't be an issue."

The annual culling is also a controversial topic for the Native American tribes. While some approve of the program that gives them the bison for slaughter, other tribes condemn the act.

If approved, the culling, which will mostly involve females and calves, will bring down the herd population from about 4,900 to the park's target of around 3,000. This year's culling would the largest one since the 2007-2008 winter, when 1,600 was killed. Last year, at least 700 bison were culled.

The bison at Yellowstone is a top attraction, with millions of tourists traveling just to see them. The bison herd is also the last considerable herd of wild and purebred bison in the country.

"They are a hardy species," said Stephanie Adams with the National Parks Conservation Association. "But until there's more room for bison to range beyond park boundary, we're going to have to rely on larger numbers of bison being sent to slaughter."

Officials from the park, federal and state agencies and representatives from the Native American tribes will review the proposal on Thursday.