Buffalo!

Yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Sometime in my early childhood I recall being at a zoo,  seeing a buffalo, American bison,  alone in a small pasture.   Even at a young age, there was something that truly bothered me about seeing that animal so alone. Our American plains were covered by huge herds of buffalo.   They were hunted by indigenous peoples for centuries without major changes in their ranging area and population.   The only increase or decrease was due to natural causes.

Not to many years ago, these creatures where nearly extinct.  Now they have made a comeback do to conservation. The American bison are believed to have migrated from Siberia,  across the Bering land bridge.    The plight of the European bison is similar to that of the American bison.   We now have an opportunity to learn about and restore this magnificent creature to areas of protected habitat  where our children's children,  will never have to learn about bison,  by looking at a lone buffalo in a zoo.

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This is a poem written by my wonderful wife in tribute to these endangered,  neglected, and nearly forgotten creatures.

Buffalo Grass

Thunderous herds

Black hooves flashing

Brute creation

Hunted, now haunted

Glow wild red eyes

Beastly destruction, vanished with shots

Vanished as smoke

As smoke to the sky

Dark clouds and lightening, shaking, crashing

Clouds of dust billow o'er wide prairie hills

Give way to the tempest winds howling,

Relics of massacre

Vessels now chilled

Whipping, raging, troubled blasts frozen

Blowing across the buffalo plains

Bending low, moan the fierce spirits

Listen, oh listen

Some nights you may hear it?

Ground pounding

Rumble

Massive,  mountains of non-flesh

Fleeing the death

Moonless night phantoms

Shadows or light?

Dark ghosts of the bison

Stampede

Tonight

Buffalo spirits, soon they will pass

Black shadows running

Quaking

Buffalo grass

"Mountaincritters" ©

Linda has written many other poems.  If you are interested in reading them, please click on "The Starlite Cafe's" link below.   And look under "Linda Neumann" as the author.

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Below are some links to mainly the Yellowstone buffalo herd and their plight.  Some are very controversial so read into it and form your own opinion.

Destinations: National Bison Range

Our buffalo being watched 24/7/365.   Seems this is a necessary waste. 

The Biogeography of the European Bison

History of bison (buffalo).

Poland's game reserve for European Bison.

The "official" Yellowstone directory.

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"What gives man the right to decide which of our Earth's creatures shall remain.....or become extinct?"

"Mountaincritters" ©