Ok, technically they are “bison” rather than “buffalo” so sue me for using the wrong term… I read in the Kansas City Star today that a mini-herd of 13 bison was released yesterday onto 1,100 acres of the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve near Strong City. The Nature Conservancy purchased the herd for about $50,000 from the Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota and had them transported here. The animals are being re-introduced to the prairie to help restore the land to a more natural state. The critters trample taller grasses which allows shorter species to thrive, fertilize the land, and create water holes with their buffalo wallows.

Of course, before the white man arrived, bison numbered in the millions in the prairies. That was before the senseless slaughter of the animals around the turn of the century. Fewer than 1,000 survived when it was done.

I’m hoping the public will be allowed to get in somewhat close proximity to these beasts come next spring and summer. The photographic opportunities would abound to be able to capture them in their native tallgrass prairie.