THE BUFFALO OR BISON 135 



for buffalo, as it evidently formed a favourite place for 

 buffalo in years gone by, as shown by the abundance of old 

 wallows and buffalo trails. Several lakes, the largest of 

 which is Jamieson Lake, about seven miles long, provide an 

 ample water supply. The land is rolling, and includes scat- 

 tered clumps of poplar and buffalo willow groves every- 

 where. Under these eminently natural conditions the buf- 

 falo have increased annually. In the spring of 1913 the 

 numbers had increased to 1,188 head; a year later there 

 were 1,453 buffalo. When I visited the buffalo park in 

 1915 there were over 2,000 buffalo. In June, 1919, the 

 herd had increased to 3,830 animals.* In other words, 

 there are at the present time in the Buffalo Park at Wain- 

 wright, Alta., under the care and protection of the Cana- 

 dian Government, more buffalo than existed on the whole 

 North American continent eight years ago, and by far 

 the largest herd of buffalo in existence. In addition the 

 government maintains small herds of buffalo at Banff (8) 

 and Elk Island Park (195). Altogether, there were 4,033 

 buffalo under the protection of the Canadian Government 

 in June, 1919. 



The successful protection of the buffalo at the Buffalo 

 Park is due not only to the choice of a suitable natural 

 range but to the care that has been exercised in looking 

 after the herd. The park, in addition to being enclosed by 

 a high, strong wire fence, is surrounded by wide fire-guards, 

 which are ploughed around the entire park, both inside and 

 outside the fence, to guard against prairie fires (Plate XIV). 

 Many hundred tons of hay are cut each year and fed to the 

 buffaloes in the winter, during which season they occupy a 

 more restricted range. Great care is taken to prevent the 

 introduction of contagious cattle diseases; for example, 

 when the epidemic of foot-and-mouth disease broke out in 



* In December, 1920, there were about 5,000 buffalo in Wainwright Buffalo 

 Park. It ifl proposed to slaughter 1,000 of them in 1921. — ^J, W. 



