North American bison farming raises distinct welfare questions given the species recent history as a wild animal and its behavioral adaptations to open plains.
Bison welfare occupies an interesting welfare space — they are a native species farmed commercially whose evolutionary history creates specific welfare needs different from domesticated livestock. Their semi-wild temperament means handling events are highly stressful without appropriate facility design, and confinement in small areas contradicts their open-plains behavioral ecology. At the same time, farmed bison populations have contributed to the numerical recovery of a species that was nearly eliminated from the continent. A welfare-centered approach to bison farming acknowledges their semi-wild nature, requires appropriately large and complex grazing systems, invests in low-stress handling infrastructure, and avoids practices that cause avoidable acute stress.