The hunt is on for whoever shot and killed three bison inside Yellowstone National Park last week.
The bison, also colloquially called buffalo, were found dead on the roadside in the Blacktail Plateau area of northern Yellowstone. It’s likely they were shot between the evening of March 13 and the morning of March 15. of the individual or individuals responsible for the crime.
“Poaching of bison inside the park is significant anytime it happens,” . “There are illegal kills, but it’s relatively infrequent with bison.”
Since 1894, federal law has prohibited hunting and killing animals in Yellowstone. At the turn of the 20th century, there were approximately two dozen bison in the national park. Today, the bison population fluctuates from 2,300 to 5,000 animals.
Bison are protected inside the park, but if they leave it’s a completely different story. Watch what happens when bison cross Yellowstone’s borders toward ranchers in Montana.