American Bison: A Scary Prediction

Children's Literature

Many species of animals that live in the United States have become endangered. Nine books in the "America's Animal Comebacks" series chronicle this problem and what has been done to keep these animals from becoming extinct. In many cases, the work of one naturalist has been pivotal to recognizing the problem and taking steps to reverse the trends. In 1889, zoologist William Hornaday predicted the extinction of the American bison. This was a startling prediction because it is believed that millions of bison once roamed the American plains. Bison had migrated to the Americas over the land bridge that once connected Asia and Alaska. Some Native American tribes depended on the bison for food, clothing and shelter. The wholesale slaughter of the bison began with the arrival of Europeans. By 1830, almost all of the bison were gone from the eastern half of the United States. Hornaday founded the American Bison Society, which was one of the country's first conservation groups. Thanks to his efforts and help from Canada, there are bison herds at Yellowstone National Park and at parks in Canada today. The text is illustrated with numerous large photographs. An addendum contains a list of bison facts, a glossary, a bibliography, and a list of web resources. Reviewer: Kristin Harris