Unfortunately the number of wild buffalo herds in the United States has
decreased significantly over the past two centuries. However it is still
possible to view wild buffalos. The Yellowstone National Park maintains the
largest number of wild buffalo in the United States and many other National
Parks provide habitats for buffalos. It is estimated that there was once 60
million buffalos in North America. According to the National Bison Association
there are only 350,000 buffalos in North America today.
Here is a partial list of public herds in North America, most of which one can
visit and witness the buffalo grazing and roaming:
Yellowstone National Park, WY
Wind Cave National Park, SD
Badlands National Park, SD
Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND
National Bison Range, Montana
Ft. Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge, NE
National Elk Refuge/ Grand Teton National Park, WY
Wichita Mountain National Wildlife Refuge, OK
Land Between The Lakes, KY
Blue Mounds State Park, MN
Custer State Park, SD
(For a full list please visit
http://www.bisoncentral.com/history/publicherds.asp)
Today, 90% of the world's bison population are found in private herds. For more
information on private heards in North America, please visit
http://www.bisoncentral.com/history/privateherds.asp. Native Americans have
also been maintaining buffalo herds and more information on those can be found
at http://www.bisoncentral.com/history/naherds.asp
The National Bison Association keeps a record of all public and private herds.
Their breakdown of the bison population is as follow:
Privately owned bison - U.S. - 244,000
Privately owned bison - Canada - 100,000
Public herds - U.S. - 10,000
Public herds - Canada - 3,000
Native American herds - 7,000
Bison in zoos - 750
Bison outside U.S & Canada - 300
Taken from "Bison History: Where The Buffalo Roam Today"
http://www.bisoncentral.com/history/whereroam.asp
Additional information about buffalos:
"[The buffalo] is the largest land mammal in North America since the end of the
Ice Age. Estimates of the pre-European herd size vary from 30,000,000 to
70,000,000 animals and they ranged over most of North America. Unregulated
killing of bison led to the many millions of animals being reduced to no more
than 1,500 individuals in the mid to late 1800s. Legal protection of the bison
in Yellowstone Park, the establishment of preserves like the National Bison
Refuge in Montana, along with individuals raising bison on their own land, have
helped restore the bison to over 350,000 animals."
Taken from "Bison History: Where The Buffalo Roam Today"
http://www.bisoncentral.com/history/history.asp
"By the 1820s, buffalo hides were the primary 'product' sold by Native
Americans. Road and railroad development brought thousands of Anglos that
slaughtered bison as sport. Drought and lack of relocation land also took out
many. Eighty years after the Louisiana Purchase, more than 25 million Bison had
been exterminated. By 1893, only five herds totaling about 500 wild mountain
bison had survived. Congress passed a law in 1894 to protect four small herds
at Yellowstone National Park. A national crusade to breed and restore bison in
1905 saved the sturdy legendary animals."
"Legendary 'Nickel' of Denver's Buffalo Herd" by Carole Lomond. Colorado City &
Mountain Views website.
http://www.citymtnviews.com/Nickel_buffalo.asp
"Yellowstone's buffalo, descendants of the herds, 30 to 60 million-strong, that
once thundered across the country, are among the most powerful symbols that
remain of America's magnificent natural heritage. In 1902, there were only 23
buffalo in Yellowstone, but, by the fall of 1996, the herd had grown to an
estimated 3,500. Today, after four years of government ordered killing, the
number of Yellowstone's buffalo population has plunged to just 2,200."
"Yellowstone's Buffalo Herd". Natural Resource Defense Council.
http://www.nrdc.org/wildlife/animals/nbison.asp
"The bison has often been described as the most ferocious animal in North
America. This description is no doubt a result of its great size. Full-grown
bulls weigh up to 2,000 pounds and stand six feet or more at the shoulder.
Their massive heads, which are matted with a thick covering of wiry hair, hold
a set of horns that are never shed. The shoulders carry a huge hump that gives
the bison its characteristic top-heavy look, the hips being much smaller in
relation to the rest of the body. A bison cow is similar in appearance to the
bull, but is smaller in size, weighing up to 1100 pounds and reaching a height
of four to five-and-a-half feet at the shoulder...Bison are herbivores or plant
eaters, and feed primarily on wheat grass, buffalo grass, blue grama, and other
similar grasses. Though they generally have poor eyesight, bison have excellent
hearing and a keen sense of smell. Bison reach maturity at seven or eight years
of age and may live to the ripe old age of thirty."
Theodore Roosevelt National Park History of the Buffalo
http://www.nps.gov/thro/tr_buffs.htm
Additional websites that may interest you:
National Wildlife Federation: The Buffalo
http://www.nwf.org/buffalo/
PBS, Nature: American Buffalo: Spirit of a Nation
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/buffalo/index.html
Theodore Roosevelt National Park History of the Buffalo
http://www.nps.gov/thro/tr_buffs.htm
If planning a trip to view buffalo, may want to visit:
National Park Service: Visit Your Parks Park Guide
http://www.nps.gov/parks.html
GORP - Guide to Outdoor Recreation & Active Travel
http://www.gorp.com/
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