September 04, 2009

How a Baby Buffalo Taught One Family About America and Their Hearts

Buffalos - seemingly an American icon and yet we know so little about them. In today's episode, you will hear the powerful and engaging story of a week-old orphaned buffalo who found a temporary home with animal lovers, Veryl Goodnight and Roger Brooks. My guest, Richard Rosen , the author of A Buffalo in the House: The True Story of a Man, An Animal, and the American West will tell us what it was like to meet Charlie, the buffalo and share the history of this most misunderstood species. We've got the pictures of Charlie and his foster parents for you to see while listening to the show. Wait until you see how cute a baby buffalo is and how huge they get.

Episode Segments:

A Buffalo in the House Part One Richard talks about how he met Veryl, Roger and Charlie the buffalo, and how it inspired him to write a book. Richard also gives us some background on the American Bison, and how they were demonized, and ultimately destroyed.
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A Buffalo in the House Part Two Richard tells Susan what life was like for Roger & Veryl with Charlie in the house with some wonderful stories. He also has some warnings about those considering taking on a buffalo as a pet.
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A Buffalo in the House Part Three In part three, learn how Charlie became an ambassador of sorts for buffalo, and how Roger decided to help increase their numbers. Richard also talks about the current plight of the buffalo in Yellowstone Park.
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Links to Related Websites:

Look While You Listen Visit the Wild About Pets official web site and view the pictures Susan and her guest(s) are discussing.

Order ‘A Buffalo In The House’ On Amazon.com A buffalo in the house? Yes, a buffalo. More than a hundred years after her pioneer ancestors hand-raised two baby buffalo to help rescue the species from the brink of extinction, Veryl Goodnight and her husband, Roger Brooks, commit themselves to saving just one. When they welcome an orphaned baby buffalo into their Santa Fe home, they expect him to stay just until he’s old enough to rejoin a herd.

Guest(s) Appearing on this Episode

Richard Rosen R.D. Rosen is the author of three nonfiction books, including Psychobabble, an examination of cult psychotherapies that was inspired by the term he invented in 1975, and the recent (2007) A Buffalo in the House: The True Story of a Man, an Animal, and the American West, whose main character, a bison named Charlie, was called by Publishers Weekly “one of the most memorable characters in recent nature writing.” He is also the author of five mystery novels, one of which, Strike Three You’re Dead, won the Edgar Award. In addition, he is the coauthor of the humor books Bad Cat, Bad Dog, and Bad President, two of which were New York Times bestsellers. He is currently a senior editor of ESPN Books.