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THE slaughter of hundreds of buffalo straying from Yellowstone National Park has been given the legal green light in Montana.

The wild buffalo, which are classed as “near-threatened”, can wander beyond park boundaries during the winter in search of food. Ranchers worry that they will pass the disease brucellosis to cattle in Montana, which is currently designated “brucellosis-free”. The infection does not usually cause symptoms in buffalo, but can trigger abortions in cows.

Over the past few weeks, around 525 straying buffalo have been corralled along the park’s borders. Almost half have tested positive for brucellosis and are the first up for slaughter.

The Buffalo Field Campaign maintains that the risk of disease transmission is low. The group says “relatively few” susceptible cows outside the park. The campaigners were overruled on Monday, when US district judge Charles C. Lovell gave the slaughter the go-ahead. They will be launching an appeal.