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« on: April 08, 2012, 08:54:02 PM »
Buffalo nearly went extinct because of the American settlers, who were rapidly migrating westward. American Indians depended on the bison for food and clothing, in fact their entire way of life revolved around the Bison herds. It would make literally no sense for the Indians to kill that many bison, it just wasn't necessary. IRC, several bison could feed an entire tribe if food was scarce enough.
By the late 18th century, settlers shot the bison either for hide or sport, not because they needed them to survive in the prairies. In the settlers eyes, the Bison seemed tremendously abundant, so they disregarded the risk of killing them in such large numbers. The Bison wasn't crucial for their well-being, it was just game waiting to be shot.
The wolf nearly went extinct because of Americans as well.