The American bison was one of North America’s proudest species, providing food and ecological services to the peoples that lived here. Today ... not so much, but that’s changing.
The American prairie once teemed with bison, but in the last several centuries, their numbers have plummeted to functionally extinct levels.
“About 150 years ago, nearly 30 million bison roamed the Great Plains until a mass slaughter began in the early 1800s,” explains Defenders of Wildlife (DOW). “By the late 1880s, fewer than 1,000 bison remained.”
We know, we know. It’s awful. Get a handkerchief and a donut, because you’re going to need some help getting through this.
But the story’s not all bad. Today, let’s put our spotlight on the American bison (Bison bison) and the role it’s playing in the movement toward a greener, more ecologically sound world.