American Buffalo are also known as bison. In the late 1800’s they almost became extinct. They went from a population of 60 million to less than 1000. I am going to tell you about a special place where buffalo are safe, Antelope Island State Park.
Antelope Island is the largest island in the Great Salt Lake in Utah. It is 15 miles long and 7 miles wide. The island is home to a herd of 500 buffalo, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, mule deer, coyotes, and lots of birds.
On our trip to Antelope Island we learned a lot about buffalo at the visitor center. We also saw lots of buffalo all over the island.
Native Americans would kill herds of buffalo by sending out a brave boy of the tribe to dress and act like buffalo at the top of a cliff. The tribe would stampede the buffalo towards the boy and the boy would jump off and hang onto a stick that was placed there and the buffalo would fall off the cliff, also known as a buffalo jump. The fall would break the legs of the buffaloes and the tribe would kill them with spears and bows.
Buffalo are pretty, but dangerous. They can charge you at speeds of up to 40 MPH when provoked and can jump 6 feet straight up. To be safe, it is best to keep your distance and stay inside your car.
Another interesting thing we learned is that you can use dried buffalo poop to start your campfire.
Now you know all about buffalos.