Historically, wolves and Native Americans were the main predators of bison, and it may well be that the burgeoning population of wolves in Yellowstone Park will eventually assume that role. Currently the wolves seem to be concentrating their efforts mostly on elk, which are easier to kill than bison. As the park’s overpopulation of elk is brought under control by the wolves, however, it seems likely that they’ll begin to turn their attention to the bison.
In addition to these unfenced wild herds, there are also what I think can reasonably be termed semi-wild herds, which are fenced, but in such enormously large areas, encompassing tens of thousands of acres, that they can roam freely for all practical purposes. These include the bison in Custer State Park and Wind Cave National Park, among others.
Bison are not only incredibly hardy; they’re also unrivaled for size in North America. Cows normally weigh about one thousand pounds, and bulls 1,300 to 1,500 pounds, but a really large bison bull can stand over six feet high at the shoulder and weigh over two thousand pounds! This is heavier than the largest moose, brown bear, or polar bear.
Bison are huge, but they’re also fast and have immense endurance. They can run over thirty miles an hour at top speed, and at a slower pace they can run for hours without stopping. All in all, this makes the bison an exceptionally difficult target for even a very large predator.
The power and durability of the bison was highlighted by a bizarre contest that took place in 1907 between Pierre, a bison bull, and a series of Mexican fighting bulls. This incident began when several Mexican officials visited Fort Pierre, South Dakota, to view some bison confined on a ranch there. The officials weren’t impressed by the slow movements and docile behavior of the bison, and made disparaging remarks about them. A Mexican fighting bull, they told their hosts, would make short work of a bison.
This prompted a retort, one thing led to another, and soon a fight was arranged in the bull ring in Juarez, Mexico. There, to settle what had escalated into a rather rancorous dispute involving the national pride of both countries, Pierre was to take on a succession of fighting bulls (assuming he outlasted the first one) in a quadruped version of a Demolition Derby.
When Pierre was brought into the ring, he placidly lay down in the warm sunshine, unfazed by the jeers of the hostile crowd. Then the Mexican fighting bull was brought in, accompanied by loud cheers.
After looking his adversary over, the Mexican bull finally approached Pierre, who got to his feet at that point, but made no other move. Four times the fighting bull attacked, and each time Pierre simply turned to meet his charge head-on.
A bison, with the bulk of its weight centered over its front quarters, pivots on its front legs, whereas a domestic bull pivots on its hind legs. The fighting bull was evidently baffled by its opponent’s ability to pivot so quickly, and the results of its charges were stunning in more ways than one. The first time they collided, the Mexican bull staggered backward. The next time it dropped to its knees after the crash, and the third and fourth times it went all the way down. This was enough for the fighting bull, which broke off the engagement and sought a way out of the arena. At no time did Pierre make the slightest move to follow up his advantage. Like Ferdinand the Bull, he just wanted to be left in peace.
Two more fighting bulls were released in succession, with results virtually identical to those of the first encounter. When a fourth bull was brought on, however, Pierre finally became irritated; when the bull charged, Pierre responded by returning the charge. They met full-tilt in the middle of the ring with a horrendous crash, and the result was astounding. The Mexican bull shot backward as if it had been fired from a cannon, and landed in a heap. When it arose, it wanted no more of such a fearsome adversary and tried to get out of the ring as expeditiously as possible.
Although this contest was not perhaps the most politically correct mode of determining the relative strength of domestic bull and bison, it certainly provided a convincing demonstration of the latter’s awesome power and toughness. Figuratively speaking, Pierre had defeated all comers with one hoof tied behind his back!
In keeping with their great size and strength, bison are long-lived. An average life span is twenty-five years, and cows can live to forty or more. Heifers sometimes breed when a year old, but most reach breeding age at two. Following a nine-month gestation, the cow usually gives birth to a single calf, though she may rarely have twins. As part of the bison’s astonishing capacity for survival, a cow can successfully give birth to a calf and raise it in the midst of a raging, late-season blizzard. As might be expected of a grazing animal keeping pace with a constantly moving herd, the calves are quickly on their feet and able to follow their mothers.
There are many references to “buffalo wallows” in literature and historical accounts. Bison have short tails that aren’t effective in keeping flies and other insects away from their heads and front quarters, so they enjoy rolling in dust or mud wallows. The latter, no doubt, also help to cool the bison in hot weather.
The bison’s future is bright for a variety of reasons. Once raised mainly as a curiosity and a means of preserving the species, the bison is increasingly in demand as a meat animal. Bison meat is tender, flavorful, extremely nutritious, and very low in cholesterol. Consequently, more and more restaurants, specialty markets, and individuals are purchasing bison meat at a premium price.
Moreover, an increasing number of people are considering the substitution of bison for cattle on marginal rangelands. Some are private ranchers who see bison as a moneymaking alternative to cattle under harsh conditions. Others—private conservation organizations such as the Nature Conservancy and the Land Institute, or conservation-minded individuals like Ted Turner—seek to preserve and restore prairie ecosystems by restoring their vital natural component, the bison.
Beyond that, major national organizations, including the National Wildlife Federation, the National Audubon Society, and the Sierra Club, are promoting ways to protect and restore prairie lands, in part by restoring bison to some of their old haunts. There is also the 2,400-member National Bison Association, formed for the preservation, production, and marketing of bison, as well as the Wild Bison Foundation, dedicated to preserving our remaining free-roaming herds of bison.
Taken together, this is a formidable array of private interests and citizen power in various forms, representing a great upswing in support of additional bison restoration. We will not, of course, see the reappearance of bison in anything like their former numbers, for the prairie/bison ecosystem won’t produce grain and meat in quantities sufficient for our needs. Nonetheless, we may well witness the return of relatively large herds of these great, shaggy, magnificent beasts—the quintessential North American mammal—grazing as in centuries past.
Resources
Some readers might wish to become more actively involved in the conservation of wildlife and the habitat on which it depends. To assist them, I’ve listed several sources of information, as well as some organizations that they might want to support.
The most comprehensive collection of useful information is the Conservation Directory, revised annually by the National Wildlife Federation. This can be purchased for $55 ($49.50 for NWF members and $44.00 for college students) by calling toll-free at (800) 477-5560, or ordered by fax at (540) 722-5399.
Although this price may seem high, the directory contains a wealth of information packed into its more than five hundred pages. Included are the congressional delegation from each state; federal agencies in the executive branch; international, national, and regional conservation organizations; government agencies and citizens’ conservation groups within each state; Canadian government agencies; colleges and universities in the United States and Canada; and numerous other helpful resources.
I’ve also listed several national conservation/environmental organizations that readers may wish to support with volunteer activity, membership, or contributions. Some of these also have local or state chapters or affiliates.
I’ve selected these organizations based on four criteria. First, they are genuine conservation/environmental groups, concerned with the protection and enhancement of wildlife habitat, scientific management of wildlife resources, and the protection of rare, threatened, and endangered species. Second, they are respected mainstream organizations. Third, they base their work on scientific, rather than emotional, arguments. Fourth, they have a record of proven effectiveness in the wise use and proper protection of both wildlife and wildlife habitat.
There are, of course, numerous other worthwhile conservation organizations; I’ve merely listed some of the biggest and best. I would caution readers, however, to investigate other organizations very carefully before joining forces with them. Many groups with high-sounding names actually do little, if anything, to protect vital habitat or threatened and endangered species. The following organizations aren’t in any particular order, except that the list is headed by what are generally acknowledged to be conservation’s Big Three.
NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION, Conservation Education Center, 8925 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, VA 22184-0001; (703) 790-4000; fax: (703) 442-7332; Internet: http://
www.nwf.org
NATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY, 700 Broadway, New York, NY 10003-9501; (212) 979-3000
SIERRA CLUB, Washington, DC, Office, 408 C St., NE, Washington, DC 20002; (202) 547-1141; fax (202) 547-6009; hotline (202) 675-2394
WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY, 185th St. and Southern Blvd., Bronx, NY 10460-1099; (718) 220-5100; fax (718) 220-7114
THE IZAAK WALTON LEAGUE OF AMERICA, 707 Conservation Lane, Gaithersburg, MD 20878; (301) 548-0150
THE WILDERNESS SOCIETY, 900 17th St., NW, Washington, DC 20006-2596; (202) 833-2300
DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE, 1101 14th St., NW, Suite 1400, Washington, DC 20005; (202) 682-9400; fax (202) 682-1331; Internet: http://[email protected]
defenders.org
; http://
www.defenders.org
Selected Bíblíography
Ball, John, et al.
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds:
Eastern Region.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994.
Burt, William H., and Richard P. Grossenheider.
A Field Guide to the Mammals:
North America North of Mexico.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998.
Conant, Roger, et al.
A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians: Eastern and
Central North America.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998.
Heinrich, Bernd.
Mind of the Raven: Investigations and Adventures with Wolf-Birds.
New York: Cliff Street Books (HarperCollins), 1999.
Henry, J. David.
How to Spot a Fox.
Shelburne, VT: Chapters Publishing, Ltd., 1993.
Henry, J. David.
Red Fox: The Catlike Canine.
Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1996.
Hunter, Malcolm L., Jr., John Albright, and Jane Arbuckle, eds.
The
Amphibians and Reptiles of Maine.
Bulletin 838, Maine Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Maine,
Orono 1992.
Mech, L. David, and Ian MacTaggart.
The Wolf: The Ecology and Behavior of an
Endangered Species.
St. Paul, MN: University of Minnesota, 1985.
Mech, L. David.
The Way of the Wolf.
Stillwater, MN: Voyageur Press, 1991.
Mech, L. David, Michael K. Phillips, and Roger A. Caras.
The Arctic Wolf: Ten
Years with the Pack.
Stillwater, MN: Voyageur Press, 1997.
Murie, Olaus J., and Roger Tory Peterson.
A Field Guide to Animal Tracks.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998.
Nelson, Richard.
Heart and Blood: Living with Deer in America.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1997.
Peterson, Roger Tory, and Virginia Marie Peterson.
A Field Guide to the Birds:
A Completely New Guide to All the Birds of Eastern and Central North America.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998.
Udvardy, Miklos D. F., and John Farrand, Jr.
National Audubon Society Field
Guide to North American Birds: Western Region.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994.
Walker, Ernest Pillsbury.
Walker’s Mammals of the World, Fifth Edition.
Revised by Ronald M. Nowak. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1991.
Copyright © 2000 by Warner Shedd
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published by Three Rivers Press, New York, New York. Member of the Crown Publishing Group.
Random House, Inc. New York, Toronto, London, Sydney, Auckland
Three Rivers Press is a registered trademark and the Three Rivers Press colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Shedd, Warner, 1934–
Owls aren’t wise and bats aren’t blind: a naturalist debunks our favorite
fallacies about wildlife / by Warner Shedd.
Includes bibliographical references.
1. Animal behavior. 2. Animal intelligence. I. Title.
QL751 .S56 2000
591.5—dc21 99-58301
eISBN: 978-0-307-42141-8
v3.0