Where the Buffalo Roam

    Savvy motorists along La.-133 (recently redesignated US-425) south of Mer Rouge know to be particularly cautious a few miles north of Oak Ridge.  Just past the home of Dr. Louie Crook, drivers have been known to double-take, swerve, pull off onto the shoulder, or simply stop in the middle of the highway.

    “Was that what I think it was?”  Yes, it was, and with a bunch of friends, to boot.

     Grazing peacefully in a large pasture adjacent to Dr. Crook’s home is a herd of great-big-old, genuine buffalo.

     Back in 1992, Dr. Crook bought the first of his animals, to use in the training of cutting horses.  Over the years, he’s sold a few to folks in Mississippi, but the herd has continued to grow, now numbering over forty.

     “I still use them to train horses,” Dr. Crook says, “although they’re being used in other ways, as well.  We’re working with researchers at Texas A&M, cross-breeding buffalo females with bulls from regular cattle.  Although the experiments are still in the developmental stage, some of the embryos have been shipped overseas for further study.”

      Unlike cattle, buffalo will only breed during certain seasons, and Dr. Crook is expecting buffalo calves from ten or twelve animals in late May or early June.  When asked about the male-female ratio of the animals in his herd, Dr. Crook answers that he has a surplus of bulls, which, he says, can be used for meat, or can be shipped to hunting preserves.  “Is the meat actually of good quality, or is this really just a sort of novelty?”  “Buffalo meat is outstanding.  It’s sweet-tasting, and naturally much lower in cholesterol than beef.”

      A ranch hand, driving a four-wheeled all-terrain vehicle, pulls up, and I hang onto the back for a close-up look at these magnificent animals, which feed on ryegrass and hay over the winter months.  The pack is hardly disturbed by the approach of the machine, and the buffalo wander toward us, truly impressive at such intimate distances.

     Keep your hands on the wheel, but take a moment to pull off the road.  Only a century-and-a-half ago, these huge and wonderful animals dominated the plains of the western United States.  For just a moment, thanks to Dr. Crook, we can get a very small idea of the awesome spectacle of those long-vanished herds, and the majestic beauty of these animals.