Investigation underway on dead Fort Belknap bison

Fort Belknap is in a state of shock after 18 bison were found dead in a pasture on the reservation.

“It’s a tough deal,” said Mark Azure, chair of the tribal council. “Everybody is puzzled, shocked.”

Nearly two years ago, the reservation cheered the arrival when FWP brought more bison back to the reservation.

But now, 18 bison are dead under mysterious circumstances, and tribal officials are keeping a close eye on the remaining 39 bison in the herd.

Azure said the bison were watered on Thursday, July 1. Friday was a tribal holiday, and when staff returned on Saturday, they found several dead bison.

“We went back on Sunday and went through the pasture with a fine-tooth comb,” he said. “We found 17 dead bison”

An 18th turned up later, he said.

The bison showed no sign of violence, he said, and tribal officials are baffled about what could have happened.

He said a full autopsy has been done on one of the male bison, and tissue samples from several others have been sent to a laboratory in Bozeman.

“They told us it would be a couple of days before we got the results,” he said.

“I don’t want to speculate on what happened because we just don't know,” he added.

Azure said this morning that he was headed out to the pasture, located on the east side of State Highway 66, about half way between Fort Belknap Agency and Hays.

The remaining 39 bison appear to be in good health, but the officials will keep a close watch on them. The bison who turned up dead also appeared to be in good health the last time they were seen, he said.

The bison were returned to the reservation two years ago after a long legal battle. Ranchers neighboring the reservation feared the bison would escape and cause damage to their fields.

Finally the Montana Supreme Court ruled in favor of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and its plans to return the bison to the reservation.

Before being elected chair, Azure was head of the reservation’s Department of Fish and Game, and was a vocal supporter of the bison relocation plan.