Animal rights activists say a Park Service program to ship Yellowstone bison to slaughterhouses is so twisted, they would prefer to see the beasts shot in the wild.

The concern is the bison, the last truly wild herd left in America, will go berserk when captured, and a crowded truck ride to slaughterhouses could turn into a bloodbath. The animals will not be sedated for the trip because, among other things, it could taint their meat.

“We firmly believe that if the agencies should elect to kill a bison … the agencies should kill the bison where they stand,” said D.J. Schubert, a Washington D.C.-based wildlife biologist for the animal rights group, Fund For Animals.

Schubert claims the herding plan is only a ploy to dodge television cameras and conduct the controversial killings behind closed doors.