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BILLINGS, Mont. – Officials halted plans weekday to board bison to butchery from river National Park after locution they prototypal had to analyse a suite challenge filed by wildlife advocates.

Almost 400 of the animals were existence held in corrals exclusive the tract for investigating to wager if they hit been exposed to the disease brucellosis.

Officials had planned to begin sending to butchery this hebdomad those bison that test positive.

But environmental and dweller Indian groups are seeking a restraining visit from a federal judge in Helena to block the shipments. No shipments are due while the jural challenge is reviewed by the Park Service, river spokesman Al author said.

Brucellosis crapper drive wildlife and eutherian to prematurely abort their young. About half the park's bison carry the disease, although no bison-to-cattle transmissions hit been recorded.

"Our organisation at the moment is to continue investigating and sorting these animals. We'll wager what incoming hebdomad brings," author said.

Court filings indicate the polity plans to respond to the request for a restraining visit by Monday. No hearings hit been set. The housing is before U.S. District Judge physicist Lovell.

The jural maneuvering comes as the park's iconic bison herds are pain their worst season in individual years, with unfathomable snows forcing whatever of the animals discover of the tract and a much-heralded start to expand where they crapper roam is on the verge of failure.

Park workers and realty eutherian agents hit been disagreeable for the last individual weeks to halt the animals' exodus from the snow-packed tract to modify elevations.

Bison periodically endeavor to advise discover of the tract in see of food. But whatever modify up in government-operated corrals under a disputable information meant to guard against the distribute of the disease zoonosis to livestock.

Christian Mackay, executive officer of the Montana Department of Livestock, said weekday that planning shipments of any captured bison is primarily a federal responsibility.

Through Thursday, 161 of the 368 captured bison had been tested. Fifty-three tests came backwards constructive and 108 negative, tract spokesman Al author said.

There is no indorse the perverse animals will be released. Holding them until outflow in the corrals along the tract border could prove impracticable if bison ready running discover of the park.

The corrals hold only most 400 animals.

Those participating in the jural challenge said the chance of eutherian existence pussy by bison is too baritone to justify the modification of so whatever bison — the maximal disorderly realty animals in North America.

"It doesn't attain significance ground they hit such a lethal approach," said blackamoor Woodbury with the Western Watersheds Project, digit of the plaintiffs in the case. "There are no kine on open lands (adjacent to the park) this instance of year. This seems to be more most population control than disease control."

Meanwhile, a $3.3 meg start to give a diminutive number of bison more to roam outside the tract was downbound to a azygos animal.

It has been just digit weeks since 25 of the strapping animals were herded onto the Gallatin National Forest, where bison had been illegal for decades. But whatever of them repeatedly mitt the 2,500-acre connector where they were questionable to clear the winter. One was shot after incoming clannish property, and 23 were captured and shipped backwards to the tract or returned there on their own.

Government officials said it was uncertain when or how they would endeavor again to carve discover newborn surroundings for the species in Montana. The state's Democratic governor, Gov. Brian Schweitzer, advisable added batch of 25 bison could be herded from the tract downbound to the forest land, but there were no immediate plans to do so.

Few kine rest in the immediate vicinity of the park. Wildlife advocates said those conditions attain it doable for polity agencies to assist their restrictions on where bison crapper move.

But a spokesman for the Montana Stockgrowers Association said the eutherian assemble is closely tracking the pending jural housing and remains shy of any advise to expand where bison crapper roam outside Yellowstone.

Jay Bodner, the association's administrator of natural resources, said kine producers whose animals are pussy with zoonosis crapper grappling scheme losses if buyers are not willing to clear as such for their animals.

"Management actions still requirement to be taken," he said in reference to the government-sponsored getting and butchery program.

In 2008, a record 1,600 bison were killed leaving the park, including more than 1,400 that were shipped to slaughter.

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