Julie;
I must say that is a very 'deep' essay. I agree, (I think) especially as far as the Bison and the Cows are not to blame for any of this. The individual Rancher, I don't feel is to blame either. It is APHIS, and the cattle corporation, per-se. In other words the 'decision-makers', who, for the most part, barely know what a cow or Bison even look like.
The State Vets, are not even real veterinarians, they are appointed, and wouldn't know which end of a syringe to stick in the animal, yet they are dictating how to handle a disease? Doesn't make sense to me.
Let's start with the 'disease' issue. There really is no disease issue except in the eyes of APHIS. They are still under the impression that Brucellosis is an unknown disease, in that it is dangerous to humans and the cow. When in fact it isn't, to either. It is only 'life-threatening' in that it causes a female to 'possibly' abort a first calf, and then, according to the authorities, they can continue their production as normal. We, as humans know how not to contract it by cooking the meat and pasteurizing the milk. So, let's look at the other excuse, grass. On the west side of the Park there are no public land grazing allotments, so the grass can't be considered an issue either. Then why are they continuing along the path they are on? That, I believe, is where money is behind it, and not in the sense of being used wisely, but in the sense that it is comfortable, and they have been getting 'away' with it for so long that they feel 'Why change it now?' So they are digging their heels in, and fighting the fact that they are being 'found out'. This type of thing has been going on for 20+ years, and it's just now that the public is starting to question their ethics.
In the meantime the Bison are fingered, the individual rancher is being fingered, and the one that should be fingered, isn't and that is APHIS.
Buffalo and Cow
Julie;
I must say that is a very 'deep' essay. I agree, (I think) especially as far as the Bison and the Cows are not to blame for any of this. The individual Rancher, I don't feel is to blame either. It is APHIS, and the cattle corporation, per-se. In other words the 'decision-makers', who, for the most part, barely know what a cow or Bison even look like.
The State Vets, are not even real veterinarians, they are appointed, and wouldn't know which end of a syringe to stick in the animal, yet they are dictating how to handle a disease? Doesn't make sense to me.
Let's start with the 'disease' issue. There really is no disease issue except in the eyes of APHIS. They are still under the impression that Brucellosis is an unknown disease, in that it is dangerous to humans and the cow. When in fact it isn't, to either. It is only 'life-threatening' in that it causes a female to 'possibly' abort a first calf, and then, according to the authorities, they can continue their production as normal. We, as humans know how not to contract it by cooking the meat and pasteurizing the milk. So, let's look at the other excuse, grass. On the west side of the Park there are no public land grazing allotments, so the grass can't be considered an issue either. Then why are they continuing along the path they are on? That, I believe, is where money is behind it, and not in the sense of being used wisely, but in the sense that it is comfortable, and they have been getting 'away' with it for so long that they feel 'Why change it now?' So they are digging their heels in, and fighting the fact that they are being 'found out'. This type of thing has been going on for 20+ years, and it's just now that the public is starting to question their ethics.
In the meantime the Bison are fingered, the individual rancher is being fingered, and the one that should be fingered, isn't and that is APHIS.