Bison history, where are they now?

 Urbanization of Great Plains

North American Bison once roamed the Great Plains. Before European settlement, the bison's stomping grounds ranged from New Mexico all the way up to Canada. Millions of bison ruled the land until the verge of extinction in the late 1800's due to mass killings from the Europeans for fur, trade, meat, land development, and sport. By the late 1890's, there were an estimated number of 300-800 bison left over  a thousand mile habitat.

Skinning of Bison

           

As bison numbers decreased,  the conservation of the native species became a top priority. Groups such as the American Bison Society helped bison population numbers bounce back up to 500,000. They are now listed as low risk,  a "conservation dependent" animal primarily residing in Yellowstone Natural Park and Canadian National Parks. Through these conservation efforts, "plains bison are still threaten by factors such as disease, genetic hybridization, and shrinking natural environments."(10)

 Bison are  now ecologically extinct in their natural habitat.

Bison now only exist in national and wildlife parks. The largest wild roaming bison are fenced in Yellowstone National Park and Wood National Park in Canada. (8)

 

Bison crossing into neighboring town

Yellowstone National Park and other national parks saved the bison from extinction. When bison numbers were only in the hundreds, the movement and protection of the bison in Yellowstone yielded bison numbers back into the thousands. Over a hundred years later, Yellowstone struggles to manage bison numbers and modern issues due to their rankings on conservation listings and environmental changes.

• Yellowstone struggles- the most concerning problems that the bison will face in the next 10 to 20 years is the loss of winter habitat and increased population sizes. According to Paul Hansen director of the Greater Yellowstone Program for The Nature Conservancy, "simply put, the animals can't survive without this scarce habitat type and it's disappearing rapidly." (7) Due to the shrinking habitat and increasing numbers, bison are heading into neighboring landscapes for grazing often leading to controversy between states. Only 10% of Yellowstone is habitable for their wild type during winters. More land is required for sustainability of bison.    
• Infectious Diseases- Brucellosis is an infectious disease known to be carried and transmitted by bison. Ranchers from neighboring states argue that wondering bison outside of Yellowstone fences can transmit infection to cattle. Though only 2 cases of bison transmission have been reported, ranchers state that they have a right to protect their livestock and will take steps to eliminate the problem source.  Yellowstone and neighboring states are having a hard time coming up with a compromise with respect to Yellowstone's responsibilities to protect their animals within the park, not outside their fences. The only solution in site is proposing a plan for more habitat for the bison to roam or reduce numbers. Efforts are leaning more towards land extension.

•  Growing numbers and small habitat leads to higher probable brucellosis infection and low survival rate in Yellowstone Nation Park (Overpopulation, 10)