A2: Two Huge Metal Animals

The Story

Imagine two giant bison standing at the front door of a museum. These are not real animals. They are sculptures made of bronze. Bronze is a special metal. It looks brown and gold. Each bison weighs 2,500 pounds. That is very, very heavy.

These two bronze bison just arrived at their new home. Their home is the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. A museum is a building where people can see art, history, and science. This museum is in Washington, the capital city of the United States. It is one of the most famous museums in the world.

The bison sculptures now stand on both sides of the main entrance. An entrance is the door where people walk in. When visitors come to the museum, they will see these two powerful animals first. The bison look strong and beautiful. They remind people of America's wild past.

Why bison? The answer is surprising and wonderful. More than one hundred years ago, real bison actually lived near this museum. They grazed on the grass next to the Smithsonian Castle. To graze means to eat grass. The Smithsonian Castle is another building nearby. It is very old and looks like a castle from a fairy tale.

At that time, bison were almost gone from America. Hunters killed too many of them. The Smithsonian wanted to save the bison. So they kept some bison safe on their land. The bison ate grass and had babies. This helped the animals survive.

Today, there are many bison in America again. But we remember that difficult time in history. The new bronze sculptures help us remember. They show us that protecting animals is important. They also celebrate the Smithsonian's role in saving the bison.

The sculptures are not just symbols. They are also beautiful art. Artists worked hard to make them look real. You can see the muscles in their legs. You can see the thick fur on their shoulders. The bison look like they might walk away at any moment.

Many people came to see the bison arrive. Workers used special machines to lift them. It took careful planning. The sculptures are so heavy that moving them was not easy. But now they are in place. They will stay there for many, many years.

The museum is very proud of its new bison. These sculptures connect the past and the present. They remind us of real bison that once lived there. They also welcome millions of visitors every year. When you walk past them, you feel the history. You feel the power of nature. And you remember that we must take care of wild animals.

Practice