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AMERICAN BUFFALO ARE INCREASING About Seven Thousand Animals Divided Among Eight Herds WASHINGTON D C August 14 Provision is made in the current agricultural appropriation act for the secretary of agriculture to give buffalo to municipalities and public institutions from any surplus which may exist in the herds now under the control of the department of agriculture agricultureIn In order to aid in the propagation of the species the bill provides that animals may be lent to or exchanged with other owners of American bison No provision is made to give them to individuals and only one may be given to each municipality or public institution institutionThis This provision is made because of the surplus of bulls in some of the department of agricultures buffalo herds particularly the one in the Wichita National Forest and Game Preserve in Oklahoma and because the department is Hearing the realiza ¬ tion of the first stage in the preservation of the species the acquisition of at least 1000 head of buffalo by the government governmentThere There are approximately 7000 buffalo in North America Canada has something over 3500 and the total number in the United States is more than 3000 This is about seven times the number in the United States in 1889 when the first buffalo census was taken Individuals in the United States own approximately 2000 of the total num ¬ ber in this country countryThere There are eight government herds six of which are under the control of the department of agricul ¬ ture The largest herd in this country is in charge of the interior department and is located jn tlie Yellowstone National Park where there are about 450 bison The Smithsonian Institution now has a herd of eighteen at the National Zoological Park Washington D C CThe The first Ierd of buffalo under the departihent of agriculture was established in 1906 on the Wichita National Forest and Game Preserve The original herd consisted of fifteen animals the gift of the New York Zoological Society and this has now in ¬ creased to more than 100 animals without any outside additions additionsTwo Two herds have been established in the past year one in Sullys Hill Park North Dakota the other in the Pisgali National Game Preserve North Carolina CarolinaThe The other herds suiicrvised by the department of agriculture are located in the Montana National Bison Range the Niobara Reservation Nebraska and the Wind Cave Game Preserve South Dakota DakotaThe The plan of the department is to establish at least ten herds widely distributed in order to pre ¬ vent the spread of any contagious disease should it become uncontrollable in any of the herds
