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US national park to cull around 900 bison to check spread of bacterial disease brucellosis  

WION Web Team
New YorkUpdated: Dec 07, 2021, 04:22 PM IST
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Photograph:(Reuters)

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In the coming months, around 900 bison in Yellowstone National Park in the United States will be allowed to get hunted, quarantined or slaughtered. The order seems to have come to check the spread of a bacterial disease brucellosis from bison to cattle during winter

In the coming months, around 900 bison in Yellowstone National Park in the United States will be allowed to get hunted, quarantined or slaughtered, revealed the authorities.  

According to a report, the order seems to have come to check the spread of a bacterial disease brucellosis from bison to cattle during winter.   

If the right number of bison is not achieved later in the winter months, another 200 may be captured or shot, the tribal, state and federal officials added.  

The Yellowstone National Park houses around 5,000 bison within its premises.  

In the winters, Bison tend to leave Yellowstone and travel to Montana. Here, they risk spreading brucellosis to cattle.  

Although brucellosis is rare in humans, it can be a big problem for cattle. This disease can cause cows to abort their calves.  

The park officials are looking to cull the bison as their population is higher according to the recent counts. It could stabilise after spring calving.  

Native American tribes and the state of Montana will conduct bison hunts beyond the perimeter of the Yellowstone National Park.  

(With inputs from agencies)