The Vanishing Beast/Return of the Buffalo

a creature of enormous size, power, or appearance

The buffalo stomped grass seeds into the ground with their hooves. They also loosened the dirt, allowing oxygen and rainwater to reach the roots of the grass. This grass was a source of food for animals on the plains. When buffalo died, their bodies became food not only for animals but also for the soil.

.American Indians hunted the buffalo for food and used its bones and skin for clothing, shelter, and tools. They viewed the buffalo as an important creature worthy of special ceremonies and dances, and hunted buffalo sustainably. Newcomers arrived with horses and guns and hunted buffalo at alarming rates. They saw buffalo simply as a way to get rich and killed the animals for their prized hides.

buffalo are returning to their native habitat on the Great Plains, where millions of their kind once roamed, but also that they are returning to a place where a deep connection exists between the buffalo and the people who live there. A

Some buffalo carry a disease called brucellosis, which can infect cattle. This caused concern among Montana cattle ranchers. After a long legal battle, judges agreed to let tribes have some buffalo on their lands.

when buffalo arrive at Fort Peck, they are quarantined until they are tested for brucellosis, keeping them isolated from the herds to prevent spreading the disease.

we lose a part of Earth that can never be replaced. This can have consequences for humans, other animals, and the environment.

The return of the buffalo brings joy, pride, and hope to the tribes because it represents a connection to their past and hope for the restoration of their land and traditional way of life.

able to adjust to new conditions

living and nonliving things in an enviorment

cut or knock down (a tree or a person); bring down (with a missile)

large, heavy skin of an animal

ecosystem

oppose

behemoths