Jewel # 438 (March 2, 2021)

 

And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I

make up MY JEWELS.”

Malachi 3:17

To my dear grandchildren

The American Buffalo (Bison)

Part 2 

“From the place of His habitation [heaven] He looks down upon all the inhabitants of the earth.”  (Psalm 33:14)

When people worried about the disappearance of bison from North America over 150 years ago, they persuaded the governments of Canada and the United States to set up protective areas throughout the West, such as Yellowstone National Park and Custer State Park.  Others suggested it would be profitable to raise them like cattle in protected areas. 

These arrangements resulted in a gradual increase in the number of these animals.  Now there are around 500,000 of them in parks and fenced game preserves, like the National Bison Range in Montana, where large herds prosper.

Bison are impressive with their large, shaggy, bearded heads and sharp, curved horns.  When herds are threatened in any way, the males huddle together to form a ring around cows and calves, providing good defence.  God, their wise Creator, gave them this instinct.  In winter, thick, heavy hair grows over the back part of there bodies.  This drops off in springtime, sometimes hanging in loose patches until the animal rubs it off against a tree or big rock.

Calves, weighting about 30 pounds, are born in early summer and can stand up and nurse in half an hour.  At about six weeks old, they begin to change their diet from milk to grass.  This, along with other small plants and twigs from certain trees and shrubs, becomes their entire food supply for the rest of their lives.  They do most of their grazing in the morning; afternoons are spent resting and rolling in the dust to get rid of insects.

When they are angry, bulls charge one another, approaching slowly with heads down, feet pawing the ground raising clouds of dust, tails raised and making loud angry sounds from their open mouths.  They make a very scary sight!    Suddenly they slam their heads together, pushing each other back and forth until one finally gives up.  When the fight is over, the loser walks peacefully away.

The Bible tells us God cares for the beasts of the field.   But He cares much more for all people, who when He created us, were made in His likeness and for whom He has always shown His love.  The greatest proof of His love was at the cross of Calvary where “He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Hm should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16)

Love you all - Grandpa