CROW AGENCY – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, in conjunction with Crow Tribe Fish & Game, recently captured elk on the Crow Reservation south of Billings as part of a collaborative effort between the Crow Tribe, FWP and the Department of Livestock (DOL).   

Blood samples from all 99 captured elk tested negative for brucellosis.

Capture operations on the Crow Reservation were conducted in late January. Thirty elk were outfitted with GPS collars that will be active for one year to help wildlife managers with the Crow Tribe and FWP better understand elk seasonal ranges, migration routes and areas of potential mixing with other elk herds on and off the reservation.

“This capture operation would not have been possible without the support and efforts of the Crow Tribe, particularly their biologists, game wardens, and bison director and rangers” said Jennifer Ramsey, FWP’s wildlife veterinarian.

The goals of these capture operations are to evaluate the presence of brucellosis in elk and better understand the movement of Montana’s elk populations. The research also helps wildlife managers and animal health officials understand the potential overlap of elk and livestock on the landscape, and thus disease transmission risk between these species.

Brucellosis is a bacterial disease that can infect humans, cattle, bison and elk and can result in abortion or the birth of weak calves in cattle, bison and elk. The disease is primarily transmitted through contact with infected birth tissues and fluids.

DOL is required to administer a brucellosis surveillance program for livestock in an area of southwest Montana called the Designated Surveillance Area (DSA) due to the presence of brucellosis in wildlife. Livestock within the DSA are at risk of exposure to brucellosis from infected wildlife and are therefore subject to additional brucellosis testing requirements for movement and change of ownership, as well as additional traceability requirements. The requirements within the DSA protect the state and national livestock industry from the spread of brucellosis.

Live elk captures in and around the perimeter of the DSA inform decisions on boundary adjustments by DOL. The Crow Reservation is a sovereign nation east of Montana’s DSA. The recent test results from the southern portion of the Crow Reservation reinforce the confidence DOL and FWP have for maintaining current management, including the existing DSA boundary.

Montana’s Targeted Elk Brucellosis Surveillance Project is a joint effort between DOL and FWP, with a special collaboration with the Crow Tribe for this area. Additional support was provided by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

More information about the surveillance project can be found online at fwp.mt.gov/conservation/wildlife-management/elk.

For more information about how brucellosis is managed in Montana livestock, visit liv.mt.gov/Animal-Health/Reportable-Animal-Diseases/Brucellosis.

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