Native American tribes are saving bison from extinction. This mammal, in addition to being a form of sustenance, plays a fundamental role in the spirituality of the tribe, here is the perfect balance that has been established in North America.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himNative American tribes are saving bison from extinction. This mammal, in addition to being a form of sustenance, plays a fundamental role in the spirituality of the tribe, here is the perfect balance that has been established in North America.
5 acres of unplowed grasslands in northeastern Montana and hundreds of wild bison roaming around. But this herd is not found in a national park or protected sanctuary, but in the ancestral lands of the tribes of Assiniboine e Sioux di Fort Peck Reservation.
Right here is the largest bison herd and only thanks to the natives. Until hundreds of years ago, 30 million bison lived on Earth, a mammal, let us remember, which also survived the Ice Age, but not human intervention.
After Columbus's voyage, the white colonizers used every means to occupy the territories of the natives, including that of the slaughter of bison, the first source of livelihood for the tribes. Adding to this climate change, within a few decades, bison went from tens of millions to the brink of extinction.
“We want to bring these important bison back to their historic home on the Great Plains,” says Jonathan Proctor, NGO Defenders of Wildlife's Rockies and Plains program director, who works alongside the tribes to save this animal.
After the 19th century massacre, only 23 bison survived in a remote Yellowstone Valley. Today the herd is 4 thousand and these animals live in the wild, they are not domesticated or mated with other livestock, thus maintaining genetic purity.
For years, tribes have defended mammals from Montana's anti-buffalo legislation. But for the natives, these gigantic animals are an asset.
“Thanks to them, we have seen the ecosystem revive. Prairie birds are back, native grasses thrive. We welcome them with joy and look forward to the benefits they bring to our tribal lands, ”they say.
Thanks to a treaty with the government last year, Blackfeet Reservation, also in Montana, received 89 genetically pure bison from Elk Island in Canada. Now the tribes are negotiating with state officials to allow these buffaloes, which are healthy and without the dreaded brucellosis, to travel freely into Glacier National Park and even hopefully one day north of Waterton Lakes National Park.
“The Northern Plains tribes are the right guide for restoring wild bison right now,” Proctor said.
And 50 years from now, the conservation community hopes to have at least 10 bison herds with XNUMX animals.
Read also:
- The European bison returns to the forests after 200 years: 17 specimens released in Romania (video)
- Elephants and bison populated Europe. Reintroducing them to save biodiversity?
Dominella Trunfio
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