A Story Request for " The Buffalo "
 

I am sure this has been asked many times.

Can the wise mentors on this site spare some time for newbie myself and I am sure others.

Could we hear the story of the Buffalo at the Villages and why they were removed? Were were they kept? How many? Were they always there? Etc

I am always amazed watching them roam free while on several Harley trips out West.

Anxiously waiting for story time! And is there any chance we could get them back?

Herv

Herv, Thank you for posting this. I would also like to know about the buffalo in TV.

Too late for the whole story.
Truth is the buffalo were used as tax deduction on land before houses were built.
Excuse was given it was for safety but houses were built on their pastures immediately. Everyone tried to stop their removal. One committee offered to pay for all new fencing that would separate people from the buffalo. Mark listened to no one.
His plans were already in action for Creekside villas and they were completed 6 months from date of removal of buffalo. They were sold as a herd and made the developer some money.
Everyone misses them. They were beautiful. They are never coming back as there are houses on their pastures. I could write a book with all the details but I have an early tee time.:D

Wow Mr. Mark gave us a nightmare instead of a happy ending story.

Thanks for the first chapter!


H

First time I saw the buffaloes they were in a corral on El Camino Real across the street from the hospital. They were there for at least 3 or 4 years that I know of until they were moved further south to a field on 466. As I recall, the corral was next to a small driving range where you drove the balls into the pond at rafts at various distances. The property is now the medical recovery facility and the Freedom Pointe facility. These were built long after the buffs were moved.


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The last time they were VIEWABLE they were pastured at the NE corner of BUENA VISTA and OLD MILL RUN. They went bye-bye AFTER someone put a grandchild between a MAMA and a BABY Buffalo.(to get a photo). As should be expected...the MAMA "charged" to protect her BABY.(nature at its best) LAWSUIT followed and that was the end of our Buffalo viewings. The Creekside Villas were planned many moon prior and were NOT the reason for the loss of the Buffalo. Origionally..the Buffalo were going to be displayed further South in The Vilages. Just like they had been moved on at least 2 prior occasions,to accomodate the building schedule. PLEASE don't think for one-minute that it was the fault of the Morse family that we lost the viewings of the Buffalo. I am just grateful for the YEARS we were all able to enjoy this wonderful display.

If you are playing golf on Amberwood
 

You can still see some Buffalo on No.6 (The par 5)

Too bad when imbeciles ruin things for everyone. Saw them our first visit and they were subsequently gone. Sure seems like there had ought to be other solutions, but I understand the liability issue. Other locations have surely solved the issue differently.

The buffalo and eagle are my two favorite wildlife and I understand the sad story of the eagles from my sales rep.

The sad story of the eagles? Haven't heard anything of this. We did see a pair in Duval circling the pool area. What's the story?

When the tornado, spawned from a severe thunderstorm, ripped through near cane garden several years ago and on to mallory it also tore through a protected eagle area destroying several nests. I believe some little ones were saved, raised and returned to their former area near allamanda golf course.

The Buffalo as well as cattle at several areas in the villages are there to keep property taxes low (agricultural as opposed to residential acreage) until the land is developed. The family contrary to some negative beliefs pastured buffalo (nice gesture) and not always cattle on these sites moving them as planned development arrived. jmho

I observed on many occasion people & kids trying to feed the buffalo, the potential liability was just too much.
We all like to spot a gator now and then on the ponds. I saw a man and his small son climb the fence and walk 20-30 yards to get up close to a gator at the pond near Palmer golf course.
If you feed them they to will be gone......by the trappers with a bullet to the head.
What ever happened to common sense??

The story continues! Seems like many had happy memories of these animals.

We were warned by the Rangers at several parks do not go near them keep your distance and never feed them, I saw fools getting of Motorcycles and Vehicles alike trucking out to get a photo opportunity.

NOT ME!

'Well, that's one way to eliminate the weak part of the human gene pool......

We went to see the Elephant Seals at a California beach and the guide warned us not to step in front of them. They don't charge, he said, they will just roll over you like a tank.

There also were buffalo in the area along 466 that is now being developed. I can't count how many times I saw people doing stupid things at the fence. Sometimes the buffalo rested in the shade of a tree near the fence. I saw a man with his grandchildren throwing things at the animal trying to get it to come over to the fence. People, as stated above, holding youngsters over the fence with carrots to feed the buffalo. I once stopped and advised a lady to not climb on the fence with food, and she told me to "shut up".

But The Villages is entirely planned out, so areas where the "buffalo roamed" were always intended to be developed. It, IMHO, was the liability issue that ended the original plan to keep moving them as development worked south.