As cold weather slowly approaches in the Yellowstone region, Yellowstone's bison face another winter full of danger and death. Danger and death not at the hands of nature's cruel arctic blasts, but rather at the hands of the Montana Department of Livestock, an agency which seemingly pays no attention to scientific research and to sound judgement. An agency, no less, which puts the interest of a mere 2000 head of cattle above that of America's last free ranging herd of bison, the very symbol of the American West. Yet the bison are killed while the elk run free. Perhaps this very time of year harbors the answer to the question.
Elk are big game animals which bring significant revenue to the rural Montana economy.
Yellowstone's bison, on the other hand, bring no revenue to the table. Instead, they compete with nearby cattle for grazing space. Thus, they are a nuisance in the eyes of some, these symbols of the American West which stand in the way of progress and profit. And when national symbols clash with American capitalism, very rarely does the former win, unless there is money to be made. And so the struggle over the right of Yellowstone's bison to live as nature dictates continues unabated.