Mary McElrath, age 13, of Black Mountain, N.C., for her question:

ARE BUFFALO EXTINCT?

Several varieties of large wild oxen have the common name of buffalo. The water buffalo of India, who loves to soak himself in ponds of water, has been domesticated and is used as a beast of burden. This animal is also found in most of the warmer parts of Asia.

Buffaloes can also be found in the Philippine Islands and in South Africa.

The American buffalo, known to most people simply as a buffalo, is actually not a true buffalo. He's a bison, a completely different animal. He has 14 pairs of ribs while true buffaloes have 13.

North America's buffalo is brownish black with a hind quarter of brown. Some have horns that spread three feet wide. He measures between 10 and 13 feet in length and at the shoulders is about six feet tall. A full grown cow will weigh 900 pounds while a bull will weigh about 2,000 pounds.

Tremendous herds of buffalo lived on the central plains when the white man first came to North America. The Indians hunted them for food and also used their hides for clothing. The buffalo could be found in great numbers between the Rockies on the West and the Appalachians on the East.

It has been estimated that more than 20 million buffalo could be found on the plains just 100 years ago. Then in the late 1800s came the shameful slaughter of buffaloes by white hunters. While the Indian was losing his chief source of food, the bison was almost completely wiped out of existence.

A count was made of bison in 1889 and it was discovered that there were only a total of 551 of the animals alive in the United States. The thoughtless actions of many hunters had brought a terrible result.

At the end of the 1800s and into the 1900s, an American zoologist by the name of William Temple Hornaday did much to protect the existing herds and help them to live and multiply. As a result, more than 15,000 buffalo can be found in fenced game preserves in the United States today. They are also found in many national parks and on private ranches. Another 15,000 live in Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada.

Bison live on grass, willow twigs and low shrubs. Some current attempts are being made to breed them with domestic cattle. The result is called beefaloes or cattaloes. Growers have found that this new animal is happy feeding on grass and does not need expensive grain. It may be that at some time in the future the once almost¬extinct buffalo will again become a valuable menu item for man.