Fauna
Several species of large native mammals make their home at the refuge: Plains Bison, also known as the American buffalo, elk, white-tailed deer graze the prairies along with Texas longhorn cattle preserved for their cultural and historic importance. Bison, longhorns, and elk were introduced after the establishment of the refuge. Merriam's Elk, the original subspecies of elk in this area, is extinct, so the elk in the refuge are Rocky Mountain Elk. The ancestors of the herd were imported from Jackson Hole, Wyoming in 1911. The elk herd now numbers about 800 and white tailed deer about 450. Many smaller mammal species also live in the refuge, including the Nine-banded Armadillo and the Black-tailed Prairie Dog.
Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge was important in saving the American buffalo from extinction. In 1907 the American Bison Society transported 15 buffalo, six bulls and nine cows, from the New York Zoological Park to the refuge. On arrival, the Comanche leader Quanah Parker and a host of other Indians and Whites turned out to welcome the buffalo. At that time, buffalo had been extinct on the southern Great Plains for 30 years. The buffalo herd now numbers about 650 on the refuge. In fall, buffalo in excess of the carrying capacity of the refuge are rounded up and sold.
The Refuge is home to many species of birds, and it is one of the remaining homes of the endangered Black-capped Vireo.
Read more about this topic: Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge
Famous quotes containing the word fauna:
“The whole fauna of human fantasies, their marine vegetation, drifts and luxuriates in the dimly lit zones of human activity, as though plaiting thick tresses of darkness. Here, too, appear the lighthouses of the mind, with their outward resemblance to less pure symbols. The gateway to mystery swings open at the touch of human weakness and we have entered the realms of darkness. One false step, one slurred syllable together reveal a man’s thoughts.”
—Louis Aragon (1897–1982)