Obama Replaces Bald Eagle with Buffalo As Symbol of America-Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
Reports that President Obama has ordered that the buffalo should replace the bald eagle as America’s national symbol.
The Truth:
The buffalo has been designated as America’s national mammal — but President Obama didn’t “replace” the bald eagle with the buffalo as America’s national symbol.
Those rumors started with a report that appeared at American News under the headline, “Obama to Replace National Bird the Bald Eagle with THIS.” The story reports:
According to recent reports, our nation is about to get a new animal—and it’s quite a departure from the bald eagle, which has been the sole symbol of the United States for 234 years.
Reports indicate that the National Bison Legacy Act has just been passed by Congress, and is expected to pass through the Senate next week. The act denotes the bison as America’s national mammal and a “historical symbol of the United States.”
The eagle will reportedly still represent the nation, but it will no longer be the sole animal doing so. If passed, the bison will join the bald eagle, the oak, and the rose as a symbol for our country.
The story isn’t factually incorrect, but its headline and overall tone have led readers to believe that the bald eagle has been outright replaced by the buffalo, which is not the case.
Congress passed the National Bison Legacy Act in April 2016, which designates the buffalo as America’s national mammal. The legislation states that bison are a “historical symbol of the United States” and that the animal was” integrally linked with the economic and spiritual lives of many Indian tribes through trade and sacred ceremonies.”
The bill, which was waiting for President Obama’s signature to become law when the rumor went viral, does nothing to change the bald eagle’s status as an American symbol. That’s why we’re calling this one fiction.