Extermination of the American Bison

Extermination of American Bison to 1889. Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Extermination_of_bison_to_1889.png

Distribution of public herds of plains bison and of free-ranging or captive breeding wood bison on Turtle Island as of 2003. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_bison#mediaviewer/File:Bison_bison_2003_map.svg

The American bison, the largest living land animal on the continent, came dangerously close to extinction at the hands of settlers. Prior to colonization, it is estimated that there were about 60 million bison across Turtle Island. By 1870, there were only 5 million, and in 1889, at the height of the great bison slaughter, there were less than 1,000 living individuals. Today, the American bison population is growing again, with approximately 30,000 bison living on public lands, and 500,000 on non-public lands.

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