The bison’s population today is around 350,000, which is roughly 1% of their original herd size. Bison can be found in a variety of locations across the country. Approximately 15,000 of these animals can be found on public lands, while others can be found in private herds maintained by organizations such as The Nature Conservancy.
Where Can the Remaining Bison Be Found?
These remaining bison include the Yellowstone bison herd, the largest genetically pure herd in the U.S., and the Wind Cave bison herd, the second largest in the country.
Several smaller herds of bison reside in different parts of the United States and Canada.
Besides wild herds, many bison live on ranches and farms. They’re raised for meat, leather, and other products, managed by private individuals or organizations.
Are Bison Endangered?
Bison conservation efforts have gained momentum in recent years. Although currently considered ecologically extinct due to the lack of large migratory herds, initiatives aim to form metapopulations of 1,000 or more bison. These actions seek to restore the bison’s key role on our grasslands. The American bison (Bison bison) is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List (2017 assessment), with roughly 11,000 to 13,000 mature animals held in conservation herds and most of the wider total of around 500,000 living in commercial herds raised for meat. Europe’s own species, the European bison (Bison bonasus), was moved from Vulnerable down to Near Threatened in 2020 after its wild numbers climbed from about 1,800 in 2003 to more than 6,200 by 2019.
