BILLINGS — State wildlife officials are expanding efforts to keep elk that may be infected with brucellosis away from domestic cattle.
Landowners in the so-called “Designated Surveillance Area” around Yellowstone National Park can manage elk through hazing, limited fencing and having some elk killed.
The Billings Gazette reports the Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission on Thursday approved a plan to extend the use of those tools to landowners southeast of Red Lodge along the Beartooth Front.
The elk kills would be limited to 10 elk and would require a commissioner’s approval.
FWP officials say last year, hunters shot eight elk in the Paradise Valley to keep the elk away from livestock. Brucellosis can cause cattle to abort.