A Step Forward in the Conservation of the Iconic Bison

A recently published study shows that bison in Yellowstone National Park, Montana, United States, form a single interbreeding population. From now on, they should be managed and monitored as one large herd.

“This finding certainly has a direct impact on the long-term conservation and management of this iconic bison population,” explains Dr. James Derr, professor at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and co-author of the study.

By the early-1900s, the number of American bison had been reduced by 99.9% across North America. In Yellowstone, only 23 wild bison were known to have survived poaching. In 1902, a small number of domestic bison from western Montana and the Texas Panhandle were introduced to the small bison population in Yellowstone in the hopes of creating a stable and thriving population in the world’s first national park – and the only territory where American bison has continually existed as wildlife in the United States. Today, the Yellowstone bison population functions as a single and genetically healthy population of between 4,000 and 6,000 individuals, making it one of the greatest wildlife conservation success stories of all time. Researchers have examined samples from the two major summer breeding groups and the two major winter ranges and couldn’t find examples of genetic differences or overlaps. Management decisions on how to best manage genetic diversity in Yellowstone bison can be based on the valuable information provided in this study, ensuring the long-term stability of the iconic bison, a flagship national mammal.