The story of the American buffalo – also known as the bison – is intricately linked to the black history of the early United States.
From an estimated 30 million, their numbers dwindled to just a few hundred by the end of the 19th century as the US government tried to wipe out the Plains Tribe Indians, whose way of life depended on animals.
“It was a deliberate genocide to remove the buffalo, to remove the Indians and force them into reservations,” Cody Considine of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) told AFP.
He explained that they are an integral part of the TNC’s efforts to restore grasslands in the Nachusa Grasslands of Buffalo, Illinois.
The buffalo, which were introduced there in 2014 and now number around a hundred, prefer to eat grasses over flowering plants and legumes, which in turn allows a wide variety of birds, insects and amphibians to thrive.
“Some of these species disappear from the landscape simply because of high competition from grasses without grazing,” Considine said.
As they forage, bison’s hooves lift up and aerate the soil, which helps plant growth as well as seed dispersal.
TNC currently manages about 6,500 buffalo, and is building a pilot program with tribal partners that includes relocating additional animals to indigenous communities as part of a broader effort to revitalize America’s national mammal.
Some 20,000 buffalo are now believed to roam in “conservation herds,” although none actually roam free, Considine added.