Animals can be great national symbols. You can tell a lot about a country by the animals selected to embody its ideals. Benjamin Franklin was arguably the cleverest of the Founding Fathers, but his scheme to adopt the turkey as the national bird at the expense of the majestic bald eagle would have made the young republic look ridiculous.
Recently, President Barack Obama and the fractious Congress were able to agree that the mighty bison, an animal that has become synonymous with the development of early America, is ready for its close-up. With Mr. Obama's signature on the National Bison Legacy Act two weeks after Congress approved the bill by a unanimous voice vote, the mighty bison is officially America's national mammal.
Given the bison's importance to the Native Americans, who used it as a source of food, clothing and inspiration on the high plains, and to the settlers of the Old West, who hunted the animals to near extinction, its selection as our national mammal seems inevitable. The bison is tied inextricably to the history of America like no other animal--with the possible exception of the horse and pony. The bison has even appeared on our coins and currency.
Even so, the bison's long overdue promotion doesn't cost the U.S. taxpayers a cent or impose mandates on local or state governments that could affect hunting policies or land management decisions. It is simply a confirmation of the animal's iconic status. This wild and beautiful creature has a calm demeanor, a lot of power individually and within the herd, and isn't easily spooked.
In North America, about 30,000 bison live in public and private herds and about 400,000 are raised as livestock, according to the National Park Service. Bison at one time numbered in the tens of millions, but only a few dozen remained in the wild when efforts to save them began in earnest in the early 20th century.
The bison may not be as refined as the bald eagle or as graceful as the bobcat, but it has a history in this country that rivals both. As symbols of America go, we could do a lot worse, but probably not better.
Editorial on 05/23/2016