North American bison represent one of conservation's great success stories, yet managed populations in national parks and ranches face ongoing welfare challenges from population management and disease.
Managed bison populations face welfare challenges arising from the intersection of conservation goals and ranching economics. Yellowstone bison that migrate outside park boundaries are subjected to capture, testing, quarantine, and sometimes slaughter due to brucellosis transmission concerns to cattle, despite limited evidence of actual transmission from bison to free-ranging cattle. This management causes significant stress and mortality to animals from the only continuously wild bison population in the US. In ranching contexts, bison welfare depends on space, social group management, and appropriate veterinary care. As fundamentally wild ungulates, bison in confined or small-acreage ranching settings may show welfare compromise related to insufficient ranging opportunity. The restoration of bison across larger landscapes, including tribal lands, supports both conservation and welfare goals.