Bison

A near-extinction story

In 1800, an estimated 30-60 million bison roamed North America — one of the most spectacular wildlife concentrations in human history. By 1884, fewer than 325 wild bison remained.

The collapse was deliberate and rapid:

• Commercial hide hunting — millions killed in the 1870s for hides shipped to Eastern tanneries
• US military policy — destroying bison was an explicit strategy to force Plains Indians onto reservations
• Railroad expansion — bison hunters worked from rail cars across newly built lines
• Sport killing — wealthy easterners and Europeans came west for trophy hunts

The near-extinction is one of history’s most rapid and complete destructions of a wildlife population.

Buffalo vs bison

Americans commonly call bison “buffalo,” but they’re biologically distinct:

• American bison (Bison bison) — North American, with hump and beard
• True buffalo (Cape buffalo, water buffalo) — African and Asian species, no hump

The “buffalo” name stuck due to early French explorers’ usage (les boeufs) and persists in cultural references — Buffalo Bill, “Home on the Range” lyrics, the Buffalo Bills NFL team — but biologists consistently use “bison” for the species.

A conservation success

The recovery is dramatic. From 325 in 1884, today there are:

• ~30,000 wild plains bison in conservation herds (Yellowstone, Wind Cave, Theodore Roosevelt parks)
• ~400,000 commercial bison on private ranches across the US and Canada
• ~50,000 wood bison in northern Canada
• A few thousand bison on tribal lands with ongoing reintroduction programs

The American bison was named the US National Mammal in 2016.

Yellowstone’s continuous herd

The Yellowstone National Park bison herd — about 4,500 animals — is the only continuously wild bison herd that survived the 1800s slaughter. All other modern bison populations descend from a small number of founder animals, but Yellowstone bison maintain genetic continuity with pre-extinction populations.

The Yellowstone herd is also the only herd that’s never been crossed with cattle (some commercial herds have small percentages of cattle DNA from 1800s breeding experiments).

Bison meat

Modern bison ranching produces commercial bison meat sold in some grocery stores and restaurants:

• Leaner than beef (typically 2-3% fat vs 8-10% for beef)
• Slightly sweeter flavor
• Higher in iron and B12 than beef
• Grass-fed standard (most bison are grass-fed)
• Niche premium pricing (typically 1.5-2x beef prices)

Native American tribes have led some of the most ambitious bison-ranching operations, both for cultural restoration and economic development.