Facing the Storm: The Story of the American Bison

I History
A) Origins of the bison can be found from fossils dated between 200-800ka.
1) The Holocene Bison (Bison occidentalis), ancestor of the American bison (Bison
bison), migrated from Eurasia about 10ka.
(a) The American Bison grew to about 50 million in North America
B) American Indians used bison extensively as it was a primary source of sustenance for 8-
9k years, and later became an important economic resource when Europeans colonized
North America
1) Buffalo was used for almost every part of native life: hides for clothing and shelter;
bones for many different tools; tendons and ligaments for sinew; and meat was
smoked and stored throughout the winters.
2) Buffalo hides became especially important for trade with Europeans for rifles,
ammunition, and metal.
(a) The increasing desire for European technology resulted in a rapid increase in
buffalo hunting.
(i) The introduction of horses and firearms allowed better access to herds
throughout the Great Plains.
(ii) Populations went from 50 million to 30 million in less than a century due to
increased hunting by Native Americans.
C) Europeans began to extensively hunt buffalo as a sporting event and for fur trading.
1) Millions of bison carcasses littered the Great Plains landscape along railroads.
(a) Railroad hunting excursions in the 1870s would return with cars overloaded with
hides while excess hides were left behind to rot with the carcasses.
(b) By 1884 the entire American Bison population was down to less than 1000.
D) Plans for management began in 1930 as the bison neared extinction.
1) Museums had sent out hunting groups to find any remaining buffalo for taxidermy,
and most groups returned with no buffalo sightings.
II Bison Management and Conflicts
A) In the 1880s many bison were hybridized with cattle with the intent to produce a more
docile source of meat.
1) Brucellosis was a European disease easily transmitted to wild buffalo, and today is a
primary concern of cattle ranchers because healthy cattle are exposed to wild buffalo
herds which now commonly carry the disease.
2) Pure genetic strains of bison have become a growing concern for biologists.
(a) Genetic pollution of buffalo may lead to the eventual extinction of wild
populations, and buffalo could become another common cattle.
(b) Genetic traits favorable for domestication are maintained by breeders, so natural
traits adapted for survival in the wild may disappear.
 B) Cattle ranchers have competed against bison populations throughout the 1800s, and
substantially more in the last decade with the recovery of a small population.
1) In the 1940s some bison were reintroduced in Yellowstone in an attempt to save wild
populations.
(a) Frequent conflicts have occured in Montana when bison try to migrate North out
of the Park.
(i) Montana ranchers and wildlife managers constantly herd buffalo back into
Yellowstone.
(ii) The incessant herding and hazing of wild animals may eventually lead to self-
domestication.
2) Most Montana ranchers refuse to give up federal land for the reintroduction of bison.
(a) The competition between humans and native species will continue to threaten wild
populations until extinction occurs or reasonable adaptations are made to coexist.
C) Native Americans argue that the destruction of their primary economic resource forced
tribal leaders to sign treaties forcing them onto reservations.
1) The loss of a major food source for most Native Americans forced them to withdraw
from fighting against westward expansion.
2) Most Native Americans argue that the current state of reservations is a result of
differences in cultures and the attempt to restructure several unique (native) cultures
into the model of a very different culture (Euro-American).
III Conclusion
A) A National Grassland preserve of 22k acres has been established to maintain a large wild
population.
1) The American Buffalo Society advocated the domestication of buffalo since 1905, and
may have been an important part of reintroducing wild populations.
(a) The organization was reestablished in 2005 to help continue the advancement of
wild and domestic populations.
B) Wildlife management officials continue to work with ranchers and hunters to maintain
sustainable populations throughout the Great Plains.
1) Montanans generally disapprove of wild buffalo but support domestication and
production of bison for consumption and economic gain.
2) Mass production of bison meat is currently being considered because of the apparent
benefits.
(a) Bison meat is a healthier choice than beef, chicken, pork, and salmon, but current
availability is scarce.

*A researchable hypothesis is that mass production and the complete domestication of bison will
lead to a more fatty meat product with less nutritional value, similar to the difference in
nutritional value between farmed elk and wild elk.