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ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



BLACK DOG: WICHITA NATIONAL BISON HERD, FEBRUARY, 1913 



AN OBJECT LESSON IN BISON PRESERVATION 



The Wichita National Bison Herd After Five Years. 

 By Elwin R. Sanborn. 



FIVE years have now elapsed since the 

 New York Zoological Society presented 

 fifteen bison to the United States Govern- 

 ment, and established them as a national herd 

 in the Wichita Forest Reserve, southwestern 

 Oklahoma. The time that has elapsed is suf- 

 ficient to demonstrate either the success or fail- 

 ure of the undertaking. The inception of the 

 plan found many who were willing to wager 

 that at the end of the first year not one animal 

 would survive the ravages of the Texas fever 

 cattle ticks. To those doubting Thomases, it 

 becomes a pleasure to say that the Wichita 

 bison form the most perfect herd of wild 

 hoofed animals that the writer has ever seen. 



There may be herds of bison in other parts 

 of the world that are in as good condition, but 

 there can be none that excel this one. From 

 the original herd of fifteen head, three were 

 lost during the first year, and the twelve ani- 



mals remaining have increased to thirty-eight. 

 This represents a gain of 216 2/3 per cent, and 

 considering that there is not one weak or un- 

 sightly animal, the percentage of increase seems 

 to afford convincing proof of the success of the 

 experiment. 



To every person who for any reason is inter- 

 ested in the wild animals of North America, the 

 Wichita National Bison Herd is an inspiring 

 sight. Its members roam over the grassy 

 prairie, apparently as free as their ancestors 

 of a half century before, who made the wallows 

 and trails which they use to-day. 



As the visitor enters the Forest he experiences 

 a sensation of arrival within a well kept and 

 even immaculate private game preserve. The 

 sun-cured grass spreads a soft, clean, tan car- 

 pet under the gnarled branches of the oak for- 

 est. The trail bends in and out through the 

 trees, now descending to cross the rockv bed of 



