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Question: What was the main reason the prarie buffalo almost disappeard!?
What was the main reason the prarie buffalo almost disappeard!?
a!. decrease in the water supply
b!. an increase of number of insects
c!. an increase of number of hunters
d!. a decrease in the amount of foodsWww@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
C is the answer--no doubt about it, and it wasn't the Plains Indians who over hunted, either!.

There was a demand in the eastern US for buffalo robes, which was one reason the buffalo were hunted!. Then there were the so-called 'sportsmen' who would stand on moving trains and 'hunt' the animals, or the few who would hunt on the ground, bring down one of these creatures, take the hump (considered a delicacy) and leave the rest to simply rot!.

The Native Americans, in contrast, realized how dependent they were on the buffalo, and used just about every part of it, just as their compatriots of the eastern woodlands used the deer!. It wasn't merely food that the buffalo provided, but their skins were used in constructing shelter and for warmth during the harsh winters on the Great Plains--the European Americans would have known nothing of the very buffalo robes they wanted so badly but for having seen the use that the Plains tribes made of this animal!.

To the white hunters, the buffalo was a trophy!. To the Native Americans, the buffalo meant survival!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

D coupled with C - when horses were introduced to North America in the 1600's, they took a liking to the same grasses that the buffalo ate - this loss of important grazing grounds contributed a great deal to their diminishing numbers!. But horses alone weren't enough to do the damage all on their own - they hurt the size of herds, but the buffalo might have been okay!.!.!.

The other factor - overhunting - was fueled largely by the Buffalo Robe trade!. Americans loved robes made of buffalo skins, and natives were the one's supplying these skins - many natives became quite wealthy at the time trading skins!. Problem was, when you killed a buffalo, his skin might be too damaged from everyday life to be used as a robe - if it was too scratched or bald in too many places, it was simply thrown away!. Natives were not selective when hunting buffalo - you didn't want to get too close, and once it was injured you pretty much had to kill it - an injured buffalo is likely to turn around and kill the hunters if it lives long enough!. So, if they killed one that didn't have a suitable skin, they had to kill another one to replace it!. Contrary to popular belief, indians didn't use every part of the animal - they often threw most of it away!. The need for robes, and the growing need for food with a burgeoning european population on the plains, led to vast overhunting!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

C

But that is not stating it quite correctly - - - Indiscriminate wasteful 'hunting,' in truth slaughter - - - instead of harvesting the meat of the Buffallo, thousands were shot simply for their hides, their corpses left to rot !!!


Peace/////////////////////////////////!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

C

Interesting - I've never heard of them referred to as 'prarie buffalo' before!. Eitheir bison or buffalo - that's it!.
also, I think you meant prairie - not prarie!. Use spellcheck!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Over hunting for various reasons!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

C: They were hunted almost to extinctionWww@QuestionHome@Com

C!. They were almost hunted to extinction by white men and guns!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

OverhuntingWww@QuestionHome@Com

Basically C but more trophy huntingWww@QuestionHome@Com

trophy hunting by white peopleWww@QuestionHome@Com

people ate them faster then they could
reproduceWww@QuestionHome@Com