美洲野牛被逼到了滅絕的邊緣

美洲野牛被逼到了滅絕的邊緣

The American bison – North America’s largest land animal and the national mammal of the U.S. – was nearly driven to extinction by habitat loss and hunting. An estimated 30 to 60 million bison roamed North America until the late 1800s, when bison numbers dwindled to fewer than 1,000.

美洲野牛是北美最大的陸地動物，也是美國的國家哺乳動物。由于棲息地的喪失和捕獵，美洲野牛幾乎瀕臨滅絕。據(jù)估計，直到19世紀(jì)末，北美野牛的數(shù)量減少到不足1000頭。

Thanks to conservation efforts, the bison's numbers are now stable, and it is no longer endangered. Today, about 30,000 bison live in conservation-focused herds throughout North America. Another 400,000 or so are raised as livestock on ranches and farms.

由于保護(hù)工作的努力，野牛的數(shù)量現(xiàn)在穩(wěn)定了，它不再瀕臨滅絕。今天，大約有3萬頭野牛生活在整個北美以保護(hù)為重點的群落中。另外40萬左右的人在牧場和農(nóng)場作為牲畜飼養(yǎng)。

Bison were critical in the lives of the Plains tribes. Scott Suriano / Getty Images

Threats

威脅

Historically, the greatest threats to the bison were hunting and habitat loss. Today, with their population numbers so low, they now also face threats from low genetic diversity.

歷史上，對野牛最大的威脅是狩獵和棲息地的喪失。如今，由于它們的數(shù)量如此之少，它們還面臨著基因多樣性低的威脅。

Hunting

狩獵

Bison were critical in the lives of the Plains tribes. Native Americans used the animals for food and their hides for clothing and to make shelter. They also made tools and ceremonial items from the bison. They relied on the bison for “nearly everything to survive physically and spiritually,” points out the National Wildlife Federation.

野牛在平原部落的生活中是至關(guān)重要的。土著美國人用動物作為食物，用獸皮做衣服和搭建庇護(hù)所。他們還用野牛制作工具和儀式用品。國家野生動物聯(lián)合會指出，他們“幾乎一切都依靠野牛生存，無論在體力上還是精神上”。

Habitat Loss

棲息地的喪失

When bison roamed millions of acres, their grazing kept both the grasslands and herds healthy and diverse, according to the WWF. But in addition to hunting bison for food and sport, early settlers also cleared the land where the bison roamed. They worked to make room for their own livestock, which took away from the bison’s habitat, leaving the remaining bison with little land left.

據(jù)世界自然基金會稱，當(dāng)野牛在數(shù)百萬英畝的土地上漫步時，它們的放牧使草原和牛群保持健康和多樣化。但是除了獵取野牛作為食物，早期的定居者還開墾了野牛游蕩的土地。他們努力為自己的牲畜騰出空間，這些牲畜奪走了野牛的棲息地，只留下少量的土地。

Yellowstone is the only place in the U.S. where wild bison have lived continuously since prehistoric times. Lidija Kamansky / Getty Images

Genetics

遺傳

There are only about 30,000 bison currently in conservation herds (herds managed by government and conservation organizations). These small herd sizes result in a loss of genetic diversity, as the gene pool for breeding is so small.

目前只有大約3萬頭野牛屬于保護(hù)群(由政府和保護(hù)組織管理的群)。由于繁殖的基因庫太小，這些小畜群的規(guī)模導(dǎo)致了遺傳多樣性的喪失。

What We Can Do

我們能做什么

Although the bison’s numbers are nowhere near what they used to be, their population is stable and many call the animal a conservation success story.

雖然野牛的數(shù)量遠(yuǎn)不及過去，但它們的數(shù)量是穩(wěn)定的，許多人稱這種動物是保護(hù)的成功案例。

Various groups are working with national parks, Native American communities, and ranchers to restore bison to their natural habitat.

不同的組織正在與國家公園、土著美洲人社區(qū)和牧場主合作，將野?；謴?fù)到它們的自然棲息地。

Co-founded in 1905 by President Theodore Roosevelt and Bronx Zoo Director William Hornaday, the American Bison Society is part of the Wildlife Conservation Society. The group’s goal is the cultural and ecological restoration of bison across North America. (You can donate to WCS for bison conservation.)

美國野牛協(xié)會是1905年由西奧多·羅斯?？偨y(tǒng)和布朗克斯動物園園長威廉·霍納迪共同創(chuàng)立的，是野生動物保護(hù)協(xié)會的一部分。該組織的目標(biāo)是恢復(fù)北美野牛的文化和生態(tài)。(你可以向WCS野牛保護(hù)進(jìn)行捐贈。)

The WWF works with several tribal communities throughout the Northern Great Plains to restore bison and other wildlife, including the endangered black-footed ferret, to its original habitats. You can financially pledge to support the effort or symbolically adopt a bison.

世界自然基金會與北部大平原的幾個部落社區(qū)合作，恢復(fù)野牛和其他野生動物，包括瀕臨滅絕的黑腳雪貂的原始棲息地。你可以在經(jīng)濟(jì)上承諾支持這項努力，或者象征性地收養(yǎng)一頭野牛。

Established in 1992, the Intertribal Buffalo Council works with the National Park Service to coordinate transferring bison from parks to tribal lands. The group worked with the National Bison Association to name the bison the national mammal of the U.S. as part of the Bison Legacy Act of 2016. You can donate to the group to help move bison to tribal plains.

美洲野牛部落委員會成立于1992年，與國家公園管理局合作，協(xié)調(diào)野牛從公園到部落土地的轉(zhuǎn)移。該組織與美國國家野牛協(xié)會合作，將野牛命名為美國國家哺乳動物，作為2016年《野牛遺產(chǎn)法案》的一部分。你可以向該組織捐款，幫助將野牛遷移到部落平原。