In 1996-1997 there were over 1,100 buffalo killed by the Montana Department of Livestock because they left Yellowstone Park's boundaries. Rosalie Little Thunder, co-founder of Buffalo Nations, a front-line activist organization, is dedicated to saving the buffalo and preserving the sacred herds. I asked her a few questions and would like to share her words with you.
Connie: What are your feelings on the current buffalo controversy?
Rosalie: A day doesn't go by that I don't think about the buffalo and it isn't just me. Yesterday, a woman came by and spoke with such emotion about the odds against them; for their survival. Today, another man stopped in and wanted to help however he can to help restore them to the land that they (the buffalo) had managed so well before we (humans) assumed that we were the masters of it all. All of the alternatives proposed by the government as solutions are based on the assumption that the buffalo are the problem. Yet, there is no proof that buffalo transmit the disease. Buffalo are being displaced (by death) in favor of cheap grazing allotments for cattle; mostly land that is for wildlife habitat? Why is there not an EIS for the cattle? In the past year and a half, I have found only dark reasons for the slaughter.
Connie: How did you become involved with Buffalo Nations?
Rosalie: I am co-founder of Buffalo Nations. Mike Mease, an environmental activist, is the other co-founder. Buffalo Nations was formed after my arrest, when 1,100 buffalo were killed.
Connie: What does Buffalo Nations do within their camps and how do they protect the buffalo?
Rosalie: Buffalo Nation's volunteers keep watch on the buffalo that leave the park and when the hired killers come, they act as a human shield. The volunteers stay with the buffalo from dawn to dark, in deep snow and cold. Five people were arrested last winter for shielding the buffalo (called obstruction of a peace officer and trespassing).
Connie: Has there been success in limiting the number of buffalo casualties since 1996-1997, when over 1,100 buffalo were killed?
Rosalie: Only eleven were killed last winter (1997-1998) due to several factors. The winter was mild and not as many buffalo left the park in search of food. So many were killed the winter before, there were that many less along the borders and Buffalo Nations moved many to safety and shielded them when the Montana Department of Livestock came to kill.
