This is a story I received this morning that I would like to share with you for Mother's Day. As a lover of wildlife of all species, I particularly liked this story.
I know there are lots of bison in the world, even here in Ireland, that are being raised for commercial purposes but its to nice see that, with the help of dedicated people, and despite the problems that beset them, there are still some 20,000 of the wild variety that can roam the prairies free from the greedy hands of commercialism:
WASHINGTON, May 11 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Just in time for Mother's Day, five wild baby bison have been born on the plains of eastern Montana. The bison are part of a wild herd that live on a new prairie wildlife preserve and are the first bison to be born on this part of the Great Plains -- the heart of their historic range -- in 120 years.
"These baby bison are the perfect Mother's Day present for anyone who loves prairie wildlife," said Sean Gerrity, president of the American Prairie Foundation (APF), the non-profit owner of the prairie preserve. "These baby bison are entering this world just as the grass is starting to grow after a long, cold winter. Just a few days old, they're already running around, playing and chasing each other."
Although around a half-million bison live in North America, just 20,000 or so can be considered "wild" and most wild bison are beset by problems such as small herd size, intensive management and culling practices, absence of major predators, and non-native diseases. There is no viable bison herd that is free of problematic diseases such as brucellosis or other infections that exist under natural conditions, and no herd is large enough or healthy enough to maintain the long-term genetic health of the species.
"These baby bison are a lot more than just cute, although they certainly are that," said Dr. Curt Freese, director of the Northern Great Plains office of World Wildlife Fund, APF's partner on the prairie preserve. "These bison babies represent a future for our children and grandchildren that include wild bison. Most people have no idea how threatened bison are."
Article is reproduced in full with my thanks to: Noel Twigg of the American Prairie Foundation, 406-582-3495, and Erika Viltz of World Wildlife Fund, 202-778-9542
Wishing mother's everywhere, a Happy Mother's Day!
That's a lovely story. Thanks. Not far from me here in Wiltshire we have a commercial Bison Farm and they look magnificant creatures.