Bison 'couple' - we watched and heard the male 'court' the female
Bison in southern Yellowstone
We watched this bison cross the Yellowstone River...
... and then roll in the grass and dirt
Buffalo at a farm in Dubois. To me they look thinner than those in the wildBuffalo, or the American Bison, were everywhere we traveled in Wyoming. We are most familiar with buffalo because of their image on the nickel. To me the bison is an awesome creature, powerful, and handsome with his collar of fur, regal like the lion's mane. The bison is the symbol of Wyoming and it appears on its state flag. Other states have chosen the buffalo as their state's mammal and many sports teams have chosen the bison as their mascot.
The only wild bison herd in the United States resides within Yellowstone National Park, and number between 3,000 and 3,500. I think bison are misunderstood creatures. They are not carnivorous but they will attack humans if provoked... wouldn't you attack if provoked?
Bison appear slow and lethargic, but they can easily outrun humans. They have been observed running as fast as 35 miles per hour! Unfortunately, bison hunting is still legal in some states, and the bison is one of the few North American large game animals that can be hunted year round, though hunters prefer to hunt it at certain times of the year to achieve desired appearances of the coat. Isn't that nice for them. Sorry for the sarcasm.
There was a huge export trade to Europe of bison hides. Old West bison hunting was very often a big commercial enterprise. Many of these professional hunters, such as Buffalo Bill Cody, killed over a hundred animals at a single stand and many thousands in their career. One professional hunter killed over 20,000 by his own count. A good hide could bring $3 in Dodge City, Kansas, and a very good one (the heavy winter coat) could sell for $50 in an era when a laborer would be lucky to make a dollar a day. Buffalo leather was the material of choice for industrial machine belts because of its strength and wear resistance. Thank goodness for synthetic products!
According to Wikipedia, today the presence of wild bison in Montana is perceived as a threat to many cattle ranchers, who fear that the small percentage of bison that carry brucellosis will infect livestock and cause cows to abort their first calves. However, there has never been a documented case of brucellosis being transmitted to cattle from wild bison.
The only wild bison herd in the United States resides within Yellowstone National Park, and number between 3,000 and 3,500. I think bison are misunderstood creatures. They are not carnivorous but they will attack humans if provoked... wouldn't you attack if provoked?
Bison appear slow and lethargic, but they can easily outrun humans. They have been observed running as fast as 35 miles per hour! Unfortunately, bison hunting is still legal in some states, and the bison is one of the few North American large game animals that can be hunted year round, though hunters prefer to hunt it at certain times of the year to achieve desired appearances of the coat. Isn't that nice for them. Sorry for the sarcasm.
There was a huge export trade to Europe of bison hides. Old West bison hunting was very often a big commercial enterprise. Many of these professional hunters, such as Buffalo Bill Cody, killed over a hundred animals at a single stand and many thousands in their career. One professional hunter killed over 20,000 by his own count. A good hide could bring $3 in Dodge City, Kansas, and a very good one (the heavy winter coat) could sell for $50 in an era when a laborer would be lucky to make a dollar a day. Buffalo leather was the material of choice for industrial machine belts because of its strength and wear resistance. Thank goodness for synthetic products!
According to Wikipedia, today the presence of wild bison in Montana is perceived as a threat to many cattle ranchers, who fear that the small percentage of bison that carry brucellosis will infect livestock and cause cows to abort their first calves. However, there has never been a documented case of brucellosis being transmitted to cattle from wild bison.
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