But between 1872 and 1884, three million bison were killed. They were slaughtered for hides and for their tongues, considered a gourmet delicacy, and simply for sport. By 1886 only 600 were left, and wolves, faced with the potential of starvation, took to killing cattle and sheep. Armstrong is a mammalogist at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Longhorn cattle were the breed of choice until the 1880 s, he said.
Longhorns are very defensive of their calves, and use their horns to drive off wolves.
But herefords put on weight faster, and can be sold sooner. There is less risk involved for the cattleman. Herefords became the fashion in the meat industry. But herefords are more vulnerable to wolf attacks than longhorns. Small ranchers who lost a lot of cattle to wolves were put out of business.