BISON & Birds - On The Pigs Back:

What's the difference between a Buffalo and a Bison? .. You can't wash your face in a buffalo.

I recently saw this image for the first time:

Mountain of BISON Skulls - 1870.

Bones For Grinding Into Meal-Fertilizer

The 'experts' say that when Europeans first arrived in North America there were some 50 / 60 Million Bison roaming free - but by 1884 they were reduced to maybe only 325 left.

Bison Image Thanks To Wikipedia.

It was slaughter driven by profit .. for $3 a skin - but also by Political greed - as stated by General Sheriden .. to "allow civilization to advance.”  .. Remove the "Buffalo" and starve the Indian - while reducing the cost of damage to the new railroads and to also cheaply feed their Iron Horse workers.

This is not to mention how much powder & lead were expended on eliminating the 3 billion Passenger pigeons. New Zealand too has lost species of unique birds - even our national bird the Kiwi is endangered .. but so too is our own native pigeon the Kereru (fairly stupid) and our Alpine Parrot the Kea - said to be the worlds most intelligent bird.

Sharps Buffalo Rifle.

KEA 
& NZ 'Kea Gun' - .410 Shot gun Pistol

Wanting to stick with the familiar - people replaced the American bison and African elephants with cattle - kangaroos with sheep, cows and rabbits  - & again introduced cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, deer, possums & rabbits to New Zealand.

The pioneering logic is obvious: Kill the bison & elephant herds $$$, shift the natives & take their land $$$$, - cut and sell the trees $$$ to make more farmland $$$ - rear cattle & sheep $$$$ - sell 'developed' land to more immigrants $$$$ - become a politician $$$$. 😅

"On The Pigs Back"

If you think about it - every 'man-made' disaster is caused by some business leader type seeking profit by exploiting a resource to increase their personal wealth and power.

Marty K.