More Bison Killed After Roaming From Park

Federal rangers and Montana wardens shot 21 more bison Wednesday after they wandered onto property owned by the Church Universal and Triumphant, a Yellowstone National Park spokeswoman said.

At the same time, 11 bison were auctioned to the public in Bozeman by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Cheryl Matthews, a park spokeswoman, said Salish and Kootenai Indians from the Flathead Reservation in northwestern Montana processed and took the 21 bison killed Wednesday.

She said 317 bison from Yellowstone have been killed so far this winter after wandering into Montana. Most of them have been shot on private property between here and Gardiner. Others have been killed in the West Yellowstone area.

The bison sold in Bozeman, along with six elk carcasses, brought a total of $12,925, the state agency said.

Bison are suspected carriers of brucellosis, a disease they theoretically could transmit to domestic livestock. It causes cows to abort.