Saving the Buffalo

The American Bison, or buffalo, was once considered the symbol of the United States. This compelling story tells how it reached the brink of extinction, and how it was saved.

Saving the Buffalo explores the astonishing fate of these huge animals. There is no simple answer to their near extinction. The interplay of natural forces and people, both Native Americans and settlers, played a critical role in the story of this American symbol.

Many thousands of buffalo roamed the Great Plains for centuries. The first Native Americans had more than 100 uses for the buffalo, but only killed as many as they needed.