# 21 Where Are All the Buffalo?
American Indians of the past hunted buffalo. They did not use guns. They used bow and arrow. They rode full speed on ponies. They went bareback. They covered the rough prairie. Sometimes horses stumbled. This could mean disaster. The thousand pounding hooves never stopped.
How big is a buffalo bull? Some weigh 3,000 pounds. The average is about 2,000 pounds. The bull is about six feet at the shoulders. It is 10 to 12 feet long. That's from the tip of its nose to the end of its tail. From horn tip to horn tip is about three feet.
The buffalo was life to the Indian. It was meat for the summer's pot. Strips dried in the sun were winter food. Hides made strong tepees. They gave shelter from rains and snows. They made a warm home.
Just think. As recently as 1850, there were 20 million buffalo. They covered the Western plains. By 1889, there were 500. The needless killing! Not by Indians. But by "sportsmen" safely shooting from railroad cars. The buffalo that remained were gathered up. They're in preserves now. There are about 10,000 in the United States. They are mainly around Yellowstone. There are 15,000 in Canada. Near Great Slave Lake is home for most.
Buffalo like company. They live and thrive in herds. They are full grown in eight years. Some live 30 to 40 years. They feed mostly on grass. So the prairie is just right for them. Tame them? Ranchers tried. All failed. Buffalo have quick tempers.
One thing is true. They were the "cattle" of the American Indian.
# 21 所有的野牛都在哪裡？
過去的美洲印第安人獵殺野牛。他們不使用槍枝。他們使用弓箭。他們全速騎在小馬背上。他們不配馬鞍。他們奔馳在崎嶇的草原上。有時馬匹會絆倒。這可能意味著災難。數千隻踐踏的蹄子從不停歇。
一頭野牛公牛有多大？有些重達3,000磅。平均約為2,000磅。公牛肩高約六英尺。身長10到12英尺。這是從鼻尖到尾端的長度。從角尖到角尖約為三英尺。
野牛是印第安人的生命。它是夏季鍋中的肉。在陽光下曬乾的肉條是冬季的食物。獸皮製成堅固的帳篷。它們提供遮風避雨雪的庇護所。它們構成溫暖的家。
想想看。直到1850年，還有2,000萬頭野牛。牠們遍布西部平原。到1889年，只剩下500頭。毫無必要的殺戮！不是由印第安人造成的。而是由從火車車廂裡安全射擊的「運動員」造成的。剩下的野牛被集中起來。牠們現在在保護區裡。美國大約有10,000頭。牠們主要分布在黃石公園周圍。加拿大有15,000頭。大奴湖附近是大多數野牛的家園。
野牛喜歡群居。牠們在群體中生活和繁衍。牠們在八年內完全長成。有些能活30到40年。牠們主要以草為食。所以草原對牠們來說正合適。馴養牠們？牧場主嘗試過。全都失敗了。野牛脾氣暴躁。
有一件事是真的。牠們是美洲印第安人的「牛群」。