That department has no expertise in wildlife. It is charged with promoting Montana's livestock industry. Bison bulls and calves cannot transmit brucellosis. 146 calves were shot or sent to slaughter. There are 25 times more elk than bison in the Yellowstone ecosystem.
Elk also have the disease.
Although bison continue to be slaughtered, elk are ignored. Many people believe that bison are being killed not because of disease, but because they are perceived as a threat by the cattle industry. Sheep were once also considered a threat by the cattle industry. Largely unaware of the senseless nature of the slaughter, taxpayers are now paying to kill the animal Americans struggled to save only 100 years ago. They donated carcasses when they could not make money from selling them.