Old Man On His Back

Plains Bison used to roam the Canadian prairies by the millions. Herds that were a mile wide and ten miles long would take up to three days to pass through an area. The animals lived in harmony with other species on the landscape, balancing out the ecology of the grasslands. But in the 1800s, Plains Bison all but disappeared from the prairies. Along with the obliteration of the bison herds came the extinction of the Grizzly Bear. By the 30s and 40s, Prairie Dogs were gone. Then the Black-footed Ferret disappeared, then the Swift Fox. The prairie landscape had changed forever.
In 2003, 50 of these animals were re-introduced to the Nature Conservancy of Canada's 13,000-acre Old Man on His Back Prairie Conservation and Heritage Area (OMB), putting them back in the place that they came from. The bison at OMB will graze the native grasses, digesting them and working them through, becoming a vital part of the prairie habitat ...