Buffalo Stare

by Marty Fancy

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Title

Buffalo Stare

Artist

Marty Fancy

Medium

Photograph

Description

This bison was grazing on Antelope Island in the great Salt Lake of Utah. It was finding the early sprigs of spring grass while it's face was framed by the bleached grass from last season.

In 1893, John Dooly and William Glassman imported 12 American Bison to the island. Buffalo (American Bison) were becoming extinct over much of their range at the time, and he felt that their novelty value was high enough that he could ranch them, and charge people to hunt them. Ranching continued until 1981, when Antelope Island State Park was established. The cattle and sheep were removed and the island park was created to protect the wildlife.

Many people confuse the American bison with the buffalo. However, there is a significant difference between both of them. The basic difference between the bison and the buffalo is that the former is found only in the North American continent; whereas the latter is found in Asia and Africa. Another significant difference is the fur on the bodies of the bison and the buffalo. The buffalo has very short hair on its skin, whereas the bison has longer hair on its body. The bison is often described as a shaggy animal. It is also larger in size as compared to the buffalo.

The basic diet of the American bison is a herbivorous one that includes plain grass, herbs, shrubs and twigs. The food is at times regurgitated and again chewed as cud before the actual digestion.

The bison lives on the plains and many times have to flee from hunters. Despite their enormous weight, the American bison is able to carry itself at a speed of 40 miles per hour.

The female bison gives birth to calves after nine months of pregnancy. When the calf starts developing its horns and hump, it is the saddest time for the mother as it signals the time for them to part ways. It is always astounding to see that the bison is a very affectionate animal. A bond of deep affection always exists between the mother and its calf, even after they have parted ways.

To survive in the wilderness of North America and walk the journey of life successfully, the American bison has to beware from two dangers, nature and man. As winter sets in and the temperature starts dropping, the bison starts developing a thicker coat of fur. However, it does not migrate or hibernate during winter. The food on the grasslands gets sparse and the bison has to depend on the fat stored under its skin for survival.

In the 19th Century, about 50 million bison were killed by the settlers either for their meat or fur, or as a sport. Sometimes, the settlers even wiped out thousands of herds so as to deprive the Amerindians of their meat and fur, or indirectly their livelihood. Due to this, the once enormous population of the bison reduced to a mere few hundred. The government and people of North America stepped forward to save the beast from becoming extinct.

Today, there are about 200,000 bison in North America living in sanctuaries, preserves, and ranches. Many bison ranches have come up across North America, in order to transform them into a domestic animal.

In spite of threat to its life from man or nature itself, this magnificent and majestic beast has survived the test of time and still roams the wilderness of its homeland.