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"The so-called random shooting at the Montana borders is actually eliminating or depleting entire maternal lineages, therefore this action will cause an irreversible crippling of the gene pool. Continued removal of genetic lineages will change the genetic makeup of the herd, thus it will not represent the animal of 1910 or earlier. It would be a travesty to have people look back and say we were "idiots" for not understanding the gene pool." Bison have developed a natural resistance genetically as long as thay have enough to eat, limited stress and are not consumed by other disease. There is no magic bullet in wildlife disease, Therefore management is important. Vaccines are one management tool and one component, but genetic structure is neccessary for future management. Every animal which is removed from the breeding population can no longer contribute to the genetic variability of the herd."

Remarks made by Dr. Joe Templeton, Texas A&M University, Dept. of Veterinary Pathobiology, to the GYIBC on May 21, 1998.