By Roger Childs

But the flower-fed buffaloes of the spring,

Left us long ago.

They gore no more, they bellow no more,

They Trundle around the hills no more

Vachel Lindsay, 1879 – 1931

Close association through time

The buffalo, often called bison, roamed the Great Plains of North America for thousands of years. For the Native Americans they were “living larders and walking wardrobes”. For about 20,000 years the indigenous people used every part of the animal to make clothes, teepees, tools and weapons, and for food and drink. There were probably about 30 – 40 million of them and when they were on the move it sounded like rolling thunder. 

But the numbers were greatly reduced by white hunters once Americans and Europeans started moving westwards from the Mississippi River. 

1800 – c. 20 million

1900 – c. 500

Seemingly, another species was about to be wiped by the ultimate predators – people.

A massive creature

Although small compared to pre-historic animals, buffalo have impressive dimensions.

  • 0ver 800 kgs in weight
  • Stand up to 2m at the shoulder and can stretch over two metres.
  • Can jump two metres and run at over 55km an hour
  • Baby buffaloes can stand in a little over two minutes after being born and move with the herd in 7 minutes.

The native tribes of the Plains never tried to wipe the bison out because their symbiotic relationship was so important.  There were spiritual elements too. We are friends, we are related. Native American elder.

The white hunters slaughter the magnificent beasts

With white settlement spreading westwards and the extension of railways into the Great Plains the buffalo seemed doomed. Huge areas where the animals traditionally roamed free became farmland and the beasts were slaughtered in their tens of thousands.

For a time bison tongues became a delicacy and consequently the animals were killed for that product as well as for their hides. Thousands of carcasses were left to rot across the landscape.

From being present in their millions the numbers diminished to the thousands and eventual extinction seemed likely. 

Salvation

However commercial hunting gradually ended around 1885 – 1990, and in 1905 the American Bison Society was established by the New York Zoological Society to raise awareness of the value of the animal and to encourage the establishment of protected zones on the Great Plains and neighbouring areas. 

During the 20th century the numbers recovered and today the magnificent buffalo are no longer facing extinction and there are national parks in Utah, South Dakota, Arizona, Montana and Idaho where large conservation groups roam free.

To recognize the role of the buffalo in American history President Obama signed into law in 2016 the National Bison Legacy Act making the animal America’s ‘national mammal’.

The bison briefly featured on a $10 banknote during World War I. As the species gradually reclaims its grassland home, perhaps it is time for its position on the note to be rightfully reinstated. –Naturalist and broadcaster Mike Dilger