| BFC Buffalo Field Campaign
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| Lessons
Learned From Wild Bison
by Kathleen Stachowski, 6/24/05 |
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All bison are not created equal. Most have been domesticated;
they carry cattle genes and live predictable lives circumscribed
by fences. A precious few are still wild, free, and genetically
pure, and if you‚ve ever marveled at the Yellowstone herd,
you‚ve seen them. During the unparalleled buffalo extermination
of the late 19th century, a mere handful escaped the relentless
slaughter to find refuge in Yellowstone country. Today's herd
is descended from those survivors.
According to the Yellowstone Park Foundation, Yellowstone is
"the only place in the world where a wild bison herd has
survived continuously since prehistoric times." If that
distinction is too epic to wrap your mind around, consider more
recent history: Two hundred years ago, Lewis and Clark were
stopped in their tracks, astounded by the vast tens of millions
they encountered. From those vanished millions, America‚s
wild bison heritage lives on, albeit tenuously, in the Yellowstone
herd.
Today, America's icon of strength and freedom is threatened
anew, this time with persecution, experimentation, and domestication,
as well as slaughter. This is the price exacted for crossing
Yellowstone's unfenced boundary onto our adjoining public land,
where their status changes from awe-inspiring wildlife to that
of nuisance and competition. Montana's Department of Livestock
tolerates no wild bison on land which belongs to all Americans,
yet all American taxpayers contribute to this tragedy.
Animals have much to teach us, and wild animals offer lessons
all the more poignant. Our idea of a life "wild and free"
is infused with beauty and nobility, but such a life is also
fraught with danger and treachery. Danger is inherent
in "wildness"; resisting danger or succumbing to it,
is what wild animals must do. Where fences keep danger at bay,
they also diminish wildness. But treachery is the domain of
Homo sapiens, and history has chronicled again and again what
happens when "wild and free" rubs up against human
enterprise.
Nonetheless, and in spite of previous tragic outcomes, I believe
that the values surrounding wildness transcend the values of
treachery, and that wildness in our fellow animals will not,
cannot, disappear. Yellowstone‚s majestic bison
are wild, in part, because they still follow their instinctual
drive to migrate, unimpeded by fences, if not by human greed
and arrogance.
Observing them can teach us lessons that I only wish more of
our own species would embrace.
1. Realize that we're all in this together. Draw strength
from others.
Bison herds range from family units to 20-50 animals (group
size varies with the seasons) and are ordered in an intricate
social structure. Members of the herd form strong bonds with
each other.
2. Let the women lead; they know where they‚re
going.
Family groups are matriarchal; an adult cow leads when groups
travel together.
3. Love your mother.
Offspring may remain with mom for as long as three years after
birth.
4. You ARE your brother‚s keeper. Unite for the
greater good.
When threatened, bison form a tight circle.
5. Protect the children.
Calves go in the center of the circle.
6. Ruminate. Act deliberately. Do a job thoroughly.
Bison are ruminants (cud-chewers); they bring up partially-digested
food from their four-chambered stomach for thorough chewing.
7. Persevere in the face of difficulty.
You have what it takes.
Yellowstone bison spend long, harsh winters plowing through
deep snow with their massive forequarters. Their muscular hump
is structural, supported by underlying vertebrae extensions
(unlike a camel‚s, which is fat). The hump helps supports
the huge head, which is used to sweep aside snow in search of
frozen vegetation.
8. Pay attention to good grooming.
Bison groom frequently, rubbing against trees to remove loose
fur and taking dust baths.
9. Stay active. Size is no excuse; even the largest
of us can be athletic.
Although bison, the largest North American land mammal -- can
weigh 2000 pounds, they can run 30 mph and can swim rivers over
half a mile wide.
10. Foster curiosity, travel, expand your range. Sometimes
other grass IS greener.
Bison are both curious and migratory creatures who travel long
distances along traditional routes as food availability changes
with the seasons.
11. Remember to have fun.
Bison are gregarious, social creatures. At one month old, calves
form play groups.
12. Let it all hang out. Express your feelings; reveal
your emotions.
A bison's tail tells all. Hanging down and switching casually,
a bison is at ease; extending out but drooping at the end, she
is mildly agitated; extended straight up, he is ready to charge.
13. Care for your home, the Earth. Leave it better than
you found it.
Bison move continuously as they feed, rarely overgrazing an
area, unlike cattle. Their hooves till and compact the soil,
to which they add beneficial fertilizer.
14. Leave your mark on the world.
Since arriving in North America during the Ice Age, bison have
had a greater impact on the continent's landscapes than any
other species. Ranging from Alaska to Mexico, they were the
only large plant-eater to successfully make the transition from
Ice Age to warmer, drier climates, and, on an evolutionary timescale,
have been studied as a key species throughout these changes.
15. Know your enemies, but equally important, know who
honors and respects you.
Historically, the railroads paid hunters to exterminate the
great herds, thus making way for settlers' cattle; today, when
Yellowstone bison migrate across the park boundary onto adjacent
public land, Montana‚s Department of Livestock exterminates
America‚s remaining wild bison to "protect"
their cattle empire.
Historically, many Native American tribes, whose traditional
way of life was decimated along with the great herds on which
they relied, conducted buffalo-honoring ceremonies to ensure
the health, well-being, and return of the bison; today, modern-day
Buffalo Warriors honor America's last wild bison by working
for their well-being, protection, and freedom. Won't you join
us? |
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