America’s Official Mammal Gets Bronze Tribute For 250th Anniversary

The pieces are larger than real-life bison. They were created by Gary Staab and depict a bull, a cow, and a calf. 

The national mammal of the United States is the bison. It earned its official status under a law signed by former President Obama in 2016. Millions of bison once roamed the Great Plains but were nearly driven to extinction in the 1800s. By 1900, the species was rescued by a mix of early conservationists, the American Bison Society, and captive breeding programs, notably at Yellowstone National Park.

As part of America’s 250th anniversary, three bison statues cast in bronze have taken up a permanent display outside the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington. The pieces are larger than real-life bison. They were created by Gary Staab and depict a bull, a cow, and a calf.