Return of the bison: new American national symbol tells story of strife

Nearly wiped out in a bid to demolish Native American resistance, the bison's history paints a picture of strife and redemption that mirrors the US's own

The bald eagle may appeal to America's sense of self - soaring, majestic, hard to tame - but as a national symbol, the more humble bison paints a truer picture of the strife and redemption that has marked US history.

The bison is to become the first national mammal of the US, elevating it to the giddy heights of symbolism currently occupied by the bald eagle. Little more than 100 years since it was virtually exterminated in America in a manic bid to demolish Native American resistance, the bison now has establishment status.