The Extinction Of The Bison - 1836 Words

Imagine walking in your backyard and seeing a dangerous buffalo that is twice the size as a cow eating your grass. That would be terrifying to witness, but that scene would most likely not happen in today’s world because the bison were almost driven to extinction during the 19th and 20th century. The Indians needed buffalo for their primary food source, so they would hunt bison. Then, Euro-Americans came along and disrupted the system for the Indians. There is an argument for who is to blame for the near-extinction of the bison. Some believe the blame all falls on the Indians as they over-hunted. Others may feel that the blame goes on the Euro-Americans who impacted the system by getting involved with bison. Consequently, I believe†¦show more content†¦One would think that a lesson would be learned because â€Å"by the last quarter of the eighteenth century, as the plains nomads accumulated beaver pelts for trade with Europeans, they steadily exterminated the beaver† (Isenberg 50). The Indians would acquire horses, corn, and tobacco for trading the beaver skin, but they took out an area full of beavers. This situation was similar to the shrinking bison population and it was a sign of what could come if they continued to over-hunt and trade with the Euro-Americans. Vulnerability took over the Indians as they continued to trade with the Euro-Americans. The trade consisted of bison or bison parts in exchange for weapons and alcohol. Over-hunting took place because of this trading between the two. The Indians became greedy to hunt, so they needed better weapons and this showed as the bison population was shrinking. Another basic need was alcohol and it took over as a popular trade and once consumed, it did not burden the nomads (Isenberg 104). A gallon of alcohol would sell for five prime bison robes and this showed how much the Indians valued alcohol. Whiskey was needed and it was included in the trade for bison products. Th erefore, hunting for bison became much more important because the Indians would get a reward from supplying bison parts. This looks bad on the Indians as their motives for killing off bison was their need forShow MoreRelatedPersuasive Essay On Endangered Species1128 Words   |  5 Pagesto move and fast. Extinction of these species can be prevented and our future generations can enjoy this wonderful planet as it once was. The National Wildlife† history goes back 12 years and consists of problems dealing with endangered species of plant and animals. Polluting our environment, developing new cities, and taking habits away causes species to become endangered because of the drastic change. The human race is putting countless species in danger of extinction. Throughout thoseRead MoreThe Elk Island National Park1533 Words   |  7 Pagesthe home to thousands of endangered species such as bisons, moose, elk, whitetail and mule deer, beaver, porcupine, Canadian lynx and other small animals. 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