American bison
The American bison, often referred to as the American buffalo, is a large, robust animal characterized by a prominent hump and a thick mane, with ancestors that migrated from Eurasia across the Bering land bridge during the ice ages. By 1500, approximately thirty million bison thrived across North America's plains, primarily between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains, benefiting from their ability to graze on grass and evade predators. However, the introduction of the horse and advancements in hunting technologies in the 19th century led to a dramatic decline in their population, largely driven by commercial exploitation and efforts to control Indigenous tribes that relied on bison for sustenance.
By the late 1800s, bison were nearly driven to extinction, with their numbers in Yellowstone National Park dwindling to just 25. The establishment of protective laws, such as the Lacey Yellowstone Protection Act, and the efforts of organizations like the American Bison Society, helped facilitate their recovery. By 1929, the bison population increased to 3,385, and as of 2023, it is estimated that there are 362,406 bison in the U.S. and Canada, with most in private holdings. While conservation efforts have enabled bison to avoid physical extinction, concerns persist regarding the genetic integrity of those bred for commercial purposes. Proposals for large conservation areas, such as a Great Plains Park, aim to preserve the bison's natural behaviors and habitat, ensuring their continued survival as a wild species.
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American bison
Definition: Large, oxen-like animal native to North America
The American bison was nearly exterminated during the late nineteenth century, but efforts to protect the species—first undertaken in 1870—became one of the first North American environmental success stories.
The American bison (often commonly called the American buffalo) is a large, oxen-like animal with a large head, well-developed front quarters, pronounced hump, and thin rear quarters. The ancestors of the American bison originated in the colder climates of Eurasia. They made their way from Siberia to Alaska across the Bering land bridge during the ice ages three hundred thousand to six hundred thousand years ago. They underwent several changes to evolve into the modern species about five thousand years ago and become one of the most abundant land animals. By 1500, some thirty million were in North America, mostly on the plains between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains and between what are now Canada and Mexico. The species owed its success to its ability to subsist on the grasses of the plains, survive often bitterly cold and snowy winters, and outrun all predators, including human beings.
After 1500, with the arrival of the horse in North America, humans could better keep up with these fleet and unpredictable animals. By the late nineteenth century, three new technologies contributed to their wholesale slaughter. The first was an effective weapon, the Sharps 50-caliber rifle, which permitted long-range killing. The second was the transcontinental railroad (completed in 1869), which provided cheap transportation of the bisons’ heavy hides to market. The third was the development of a new tanning process that made the bison hides malleable for processing into leather, which was used primarily for industrial machine belts. In addition, the extermination of bison was promoted as a way of controlling the American Indian tribes that depended on bison meat and hides for survival. By 1883, the American bison was no longer viable as a commercially exploitable species and was nearly biologically extinct.
As early as 1870, attempts were made to protect and preserve the American bison, but few federal or state laws were adopted or enforced. Although 200 bison were living in Yellowstone National Park when it was established in 1872, their numbers had dwindled to 25 from poaching by 1894. At that time, the Lacey Yellowstone Protection Act was enacted, finally providing public protection to the surviving wild bison. Herds were also developed in Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Montana by people motivated by their own interests and with plans to sell them to zoos.
During the early twentieth century, efforts to provide public protection for bison were successful. Foremost in this endeavor was the American Bison Society, one of the first environmental organizations in the United States, founded in 1905 and consisting primarily of eastern industrialists. The society succeeded in getting the US Congress to set aside four additional areas for bison preservation: the National Bison Range in Montana, Wichita Mountain in Oklahoma, Fort Niobrara in Nebraska, and Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota. The society then purchased the animals to stock these preserves primarily from private holdings, although the Bronx Zoo donated fifteen animals to Wichita Mountain in 1907. A census in 1929 counted 3,385 bison, and the species had been rescued from extinction.
As of 2023, the population of American bison in the United States and Canada was estimated at 362,406. The vast majority were in private holdings, farmed like livestock and subject to genetic selection to make them more useful to humans and less unpredictable. Such breeding practices reduce the animals’ wild features, and some commentators have noted that it would be unfortunate for the species to survive physical extinction only to face genetic obliteration. Those bison managed in the public domain have the chance to remain the majestic, wild animals that long dominated North America. Because most public preserves are small, a Great Plains Park has been proposed (perhaps on both sides of the US-Canadian border) to provide habitat for large, nomadic herds of bison such as those that once roamed the middle of the continent.
Bibliography
"Bison by the Numbers." National Bison Association, bisoncentral.com/bison-by-the-numbers/. Accessed 31 Jan. 2023.
Hodgson, Bryan. “Buffalo Back Home on the Range.” National Geographic, November, 1994, 64-89.
Lott, Dale F. American Bison: A Natural History. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002.
Zontek, Ken. Buffalo Nation: American Indian Efforts to Restore the Bison. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2007.