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AMERICAN BUFFALOES INCREASING About 7000 Animals in the Canadian and AVestern Park Reservations Provision is made in the current agricultural appropriation act for the Secretary of Agriculture to give buffaloes to municipalities and public in ¬ stitutions from any surplus which may exist in the herds now under the control of the Department of Agriculture In order to aid in the propagation of the species the bill provides that animals may be lent to o exchanged with other owners of Ameri ¬ can bison No provision is made to give them to individuals and only one may be given to each municipality or public institution This provision is made because of the surplus of bulls in some of the Department of Agricultures buffalo herds par ¬ ticularly the one in the AVichita National Forest and Same Preserve in Oklahoma and because the department is Hearing the realization of the first stage in the preservation of the species the acijui sition of at least 1010 head of buffalo by the government governmentThere There are approximately 7000 buffaloes in North America Camilla has something over I 500 and the total number in the Iliited States is more than XOOO This is about seven times the number in the Inited States in lSSJl when the first buffalo census was taken Individuals in tho Inited States own approximately 2000 of the total number in this country There are eight government herds sis of which are under tho control of the Department of Agriculture The largest herd in this country is in charge of the Interior Department and is located in the Yellowstone National Park where there arc alwiut 430 bison The Smithsonian Institution how has a herd of 18 at the National Zoological Park AVashington D C The first herd of buffaloes under the Department of Agriculture was established in 1JOC on the AAichita National Forest and Gaue Preserve The original herd consisted of fifteen animals the gift of the Ne York Zoological Sbcfety and this has now increased to mure than oli hundred animals without any outside addition Two herds have been established in the past year one in Sullys Hill Park North Dakota tho other In the 1isgah National Park
