On a farm in southwest Montana, Robbie Magnum and other members of the Fort Peck tribe ritually slaughtered a bison in Yellowstone and dug out its heart. The excess bison in the park are kept on this farm before being sent to the Fort Peck Conservation Area. This male bison is too dangerous to transport. PHOTO: DAVID GUTTENFELDER
Bison and Canadian red deer share winter pastures in Greater Yellowstone, located in the National Red Deer Sanctuary near Jackson, Wyoming. Both animals can transmit prussia, which poses a threat to livestock. But Canadian red deer are the bounty-high prey, and thousands of Yellowstone bison were slaughtered in Montana because they were considered dangerous animals. PHOTO: CHARLIE HAMILTON JAMES
A few meters beyond Yellowstone (the snow-covered trail is the park's border), a hunter from Australia is waiting to return to the park for a Canadian red deer in search of safety. Autumn is the season for deer hunting, and hunters flock to Big Yellowstone from all over the world, bringing in millions of dollars in local economic income. For many locals, hunting is also a cherished tradition – and the ability to fill up the fridge at the same time. PHOTO: DAVID GUTTENFELDER
A Yellowstone bison on a temporary farm is being re-tested for Prus. Two commercial bison on the farm recently tested positive for Prussia — infected by wild red deer grazing on the same pasture — and the two bison were euthanized in Bozeman's lab and performed an autopsy to remove an embryo from one of them. PHOTO: DAVID GUTTENFELDER
Two commercial bison on the farm recently tested positive for Prussia — infected by wild red deer grazing on the same pasture — and the two bison were euthanized in Bozeman's lab and performed an autopsy to remove an embryo from one of them. PHOTO: DAVID GUTTENFELDER
On Ted Turner's "Flying D" farm, bison are being herded into corrals in a row. PHOTO: DAVID GUTTENFELDER