Happy Thanksgiving!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

All three photos posted this morning were taken in the United States in September 2012. Thought I would dig into my archives and find three photos to remind me of what a great country the US is and what treasures it holds. Not that I ever forget : ) Wanted to wish all Americans everywhere, at home or living in other countries around the world, a wonderful Thanksgiving. Special thoughts to those who are serving their country, and their families, especially those who will not be able to spend this special day together.

These are some of the Bison that dear friends (Linda and Tony) from England and I saw during our time in Yellowstone National Park, US. These animals are just huge and powerful - was so thankful for good zoom : ) Our week away, 11-17 September, took us down to Grand Teton National Park as well, returning to Calgary via Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. We came across several herds of Bison during our trip, and also came across a few "lone" Bison, some distant and some very close. The one day, we were lucky enough to witness a distant small herd thundering down a dusty hillside slope to the river below. Felt like we were watching an old Cowboy movie or documentary.

"The bison (Bison bison) is the largest land mammal in North America. In a typical year, more than 3,000 bison roam the grasslands of Yellowstone National Park. Bulls are more massive in appearance than cows, and more bearded. For their size, bison are agile and quick, capable of speeds in excess of 30 mph. Each year, bison injure park visitors who approach too closely.

Most animals in Yellowstone are subject to different management goals when they leave the park. Bison require special attention because many have been exposed to the bacteria that causes brucellosis, a disease that also infects domestic cattle. Yellowstone has worked with the state of Montana and other federal agencies to develop a plan for managing the bison population in a way that protects both its wild and free-roaming characteristics and the health of Montana cattle.

Yellowstone is the only place in the lower 48 states where a population of wild bison has persisted since prehistoric times, although fewer than 50 native bison remained here in 1902. Fearing extinction, the park imported 21 bison from two privately-owned herds, as foundation stock for a bison ranching project that spanned 50 years at the Buffalo Ranch in Yellowstone's Lamar Valley. Activities there included irrigation, hay-feeding, roundups, culling, and predator control, to artificially ensure herd survival. By the 1920s, some intermingling of the introduced and wild bison had begun. With protection from poaching, the native and transplanted populations increased. In 1936, bison were transplanted to historic habitats in the Firehole River and Hayden Valley. In 1954, the entire population numbered 1,477. Bison were trapped and herds periodically reduced until 1967, when only 397 bison were counted park wide. All bison herd reduction activities were phased out after 1966, again allowing natural ecological processes to determine bison numbers and distribution. Although winterkill takes a toll, by 1996 bison numbers had increased to about 3,500."

www.nps.gov/yell/naturescience/bison.htm

"Brucellosis has caused devastating losses to farmers in the United States over the last century. It has cost the Federal Government, the States, and the livestock industry billions of dollars in direct losses and the cost of efforts to eliminate the disease. Brucellosis causes abortions, infertility, and lowered milk production in cattle and bison and is transmissible to humans as undulant fever. In people, the disease causes severe flu like symptoms that can last for months or years. Treatment in humans is not always successful. Moreover, treatment is not successful in animals.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has been working cooperatively with the livestock industries and State animal health authorities to eradicate brucellosis from the United States. As of March 1, 2002, 48 States have achieved brucellosis-free status with no known infection.

The only known focus of Brucella abortus infection left in the nation is in bison and elk in the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA). With respect to this area, APHIS is cooperating with State and Federal agencies to implement a bison management plan, in order to provide for a free ranging bison herd and to prevent exposure of cattle to potentially infected wildlife."

www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/animal_dis_spec/cattle/d...