The American bison, known across North America as a buffalo, is iconic. Even though they’re prevalent in Europe, it’s in the US that the buffalo has become a symbol of the nation and its famed, formerly wild days. There was a time when the species was nearing extinction, but now, they’re embraced as a quintessentially American beast.
Perhaps it’s because of this that the mighty buffalo has become incredibly popular beyond the US. They feature prominently in certain online entertainment circles, and tours are setup to try to spot these titans of the plains. So, what is it about this symbol of the American wilds that’s made it so appealing for visitors and entertainment-seekers?
The Resurgence of the Buffalo
The settlers of North America came into contact with the buffalo back in the 1700s. In fact, a couple of the earliest remaining reports of buffalo hunts track back to the 1730s via The Pennsylvania Gazette. However, as more people settled, sought to wrangle the Old West, expand, and realize “manifest destiny,” solo hunts turned near-industrial.
By 1871, a specialised tannery in Pennsylvania found a way to turn buffalo hide into commercial leather, adding a further incentive to the mass hunting of bison. Around 30 million American bison once roamed, but by 1889, a mere 1,000 remained.
The formation of the American Bison Society was the first of many moves to try to bring back the bison. Others included the desire to keep buffalo and two states taking the buffalo as their insignia. By 1913, the buffalo was beloved, even featuring on the back of a five-cent coin, per The Guardian. Now, alongside the bald eagle, it’s a US icon.
Bringing that Might to Online Slots
Perfectly leveraging both its adoration as a symbol of North America and the might that the animal boasts, online game designers have found a great amount of success in utilising the buffalo as a theme. The developers could have simply used buffalo images as the main symbols to create some appeal, but in the most successful titles, they went much further.
Buffalo King Megaways, Buffalo Smash, Buffalo Respin, Bison Rising Megaways, and Blazing Bison Gold Blitz feature prominently when you play casino at Sky Vegas. There are many more in this herd of buffalo games, but these are the headliners. In them, and in the Buffalo Blitz live game, it’s often about triggering a stampede of bison.
They’re invariably the most valuable symbols of the paytable, if not for their payouts, for their special features. Many lean into having stacked symbols of bison to reflect a powerful charge. Plus, most take the obvious choice to make the wild symbols depict buffalo. It’s a continuation of the reverence for these iconic beasts.
Where to Find the Mighty Buffalo
Bison have made a significant comeback since the dark days of the 19th Century, with there now being around 500,000 of them roaming the US. Only around 15,000 wild animals truly exist, but the vast herds boast huge roaming spaces under the protection of state governments.
To see the famed buffalo herds of North America, your best bets, according to the National Park Service, are a few national parks. You can head to Capitol Reef in Utah to begin your quest to see the Henry Mountain herd, or the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, adjacent to the North Kaibab National Forest, to see the plateau’s bison herd. Of course, you can also see them roaming Yellowstone National Park and the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
Deservedly, the mighty and resilient buffalo has become a symbol of the US, which – along with its clear natural attributes – is why the buffalo has become such a draw for tourists and online entertainment-seekers alike.
