Trail Of The Buffalo (1983)

e [Music] the American Bison usually called the Buffalo is the largest animal native to the United States once throughout most of America there were millions of these animals nourished only by a diet of wild grasses the male or bull buffalo May May weigh more than 2,000 lb the female or cow is smaller and weighs several hundred lbs [Music] less they spend their days roaming the Flatlands in search of food America once had many thousands of miles of Rich prairie grasses that provided food for the great numbers of Buffalo herds most of these wild buffalo were killed as the frontier was pushed back and settlers moved West a century ago only a few 100 Buffalo survived [Music] today in healthy numbers they are protected they live mostly in large animal parks where they graze throughout the year buffalo live together in groups called herds in Spring the herd seeks out fresh grass at the edge of the woods they stay away from the Thick Growth of trees trees drifting along to where the grass is green in springtime they shed or mol their winter coats then they're often bothered by biting insects birds eat the insects and prairie dogs help too Buffalo like to graze near Prairie Dog Villages prairie dog Hills are good for taking dust baths rolling in the dust relieves the buffalo's itch but they destroyed the Prairie dog's Burrows which were the work of many months the little animals must now repair the Damage Done to their homes [Music] [Music] like domestic cows buffalo eat and swallow a lot of grass then they bring it up into their mouths and chew it later standing still for hours this is called chew doing the cud most Cales are born in May some in June the mother's milk is very nutritious within 3 days after birth the calves are strong enough to move with the herd a Buffalo Calf grows fast and is soon able to eat grass gradually its hump begins to appear by the time they are 9 months old the calves are independent from their mothers and stay together in a group living near the Buffalo are burrowing owls they build their nests in Old prair Dog holes and rear their young below ground [Music] Late July and August is the rutting or Mating Season Bulls compete against each other for [Music] cows the Bulls try to prove their strength [Music] the owls must keep a wary eye on the [Music] Bulls the owl knows he could get trampled he might have to move [Music] usually the Bulls do little damage to each other the stronger bull wins the cow as summer turns into Autumn their hair grows longer and their mes become thicker to keep them warm eating Rich grass along the riverbed puts fat on their bodies to protect them from the winter cold [Music] even in winter buffalo continue to search for [Music] grass a buffalo does not paw the snow to find food he uses his head as a snow plow [Music] sometimes living 40 years or more most Buffalo can survive even hard Winters as long as they can find food they have Nimble feet to cross over stones and ice with the strongest leading the rest of the herd their yearly round of life continues as it always has largely unchanged [Music]