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The American bison belongs to the same family of mammals
as
domestic cattle—the Bovidae family.
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Early explorers
often mistook bison for beef cattle. The Spanish explorer
Cabeza de Vaca called bison “Indian cattle,” and
early French explorers
called them “boeuf,” (pronounced buff) the French
word for beef.
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The true buffalo is
related to bison and cattle but is an oxlike animal that
comes from Europe and Asia. The water buffalo is one
example.
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The bison became the
official state animal of Oklahoma in 1972.
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Because bison have
so much in common with domestic cattle, pioneering ranchers
on the Great Plains thought it would be worthwhile to capture
and protect small herds from the hide hunters that nearly
wiped them out between 1871 and 1873.
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Since the bison had
adapted to the harsh conditions of living on the Great
Plains, some cattlemen hoped they could develop heartier
breeds of cattle by breeding bison with their cattle.
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Bison were reintroduced
to Oklahoma's Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge
in 1907.
- Bison are well-suited
to western Oklahoma and are being used to help restore the
land back to it's natural state.
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Bison
go off to calve by themselves and need no assistance
from man. The calves are immediately on their feet after
birth and easily keep up with their mothers on a steady
run.
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Bison work together
in herds to protect each other against predators and
the environment. They can weather storms and help their
newborn calves survive in blizzards.
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Bison stand facing
the winter winds instead of moving with the wind like cattle
do. Their heavy winter coats protect them from the bitter
cold.
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Bison can root through
heavy snow to get to the grass below. If necessary, they
can eat snow to survive. Some live to be 40-50 years old.
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Bison
have poor eyesight but a keen sense of smell. They
appear slow and awkward but can outrun and outmaneuver
most horses. They are incredibly fast, can pivot on their
hind feet and their front feet, and can jump over a fence
with ease.
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Private ownership of
bison has quadrupled in the last 20 years.
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Farmers and ranchers
can place bison on range and pasture land that is not
suitable for growing crops.
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Bison numbers have
grown so large on government reserves that government officials
have started to sell the excess animals at public auctions.
Many people buy these animals to start their own herds.
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Bison
are also playing an important part in restoring our
prairie ecosystems in places like the Tall Grass Prairie
Preserve in Osage County. The large herds fertilize the
land with their droppings while their hooves plow it. In
turn the prairie’s grasses
feed them.
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Bison meat has a flavor
similar to that of beef. It has a similar protein content
as well but is lower in fat and cholesterol. That’s
because bison get all their food from grazing and do not
get supplementary feeds like cattle do.
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A three-ounce serving
of bison meat is 21.7 percent protein and contains about
1.9 grams of fat, 93 calories, and 75 milligrams of cholesterol.
A three-ounce serving of lean beef is 21 percent protein
and contains 4-8 grams of fat, 143-179 calories, and between
57 and 76 milligrams of
cholesterol.
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Bison meat is considered
a gourmet item and is usually more expensive than beef.
On the shelf it is a darker red than beef and is sometimes
mistaken for old beef.