Bison farming has expanded as interest in sustainable meat alternatives grows. Understanding bison behavioral needs and how they differ from cattle guides welfare-appropriate management.
Bison are not simply large cattle and managing them as if they were creates welfare problems. Their maintained wild instincts — including strong flight response, herd cohesion, and maternal protectiveness — mean that standard cattle-handling practices frequently generate significant stress in bison. Low-stress handling techniques developed specifically for bison, combined with appropriately designed facilities that accommodate their behavioral characteristics, meaningfully reduce handling stress. The romantic appeal of bison farming as "sustainable" should not obscure the welfare realities of confinement for animals whose evolutionary heritage includes vast seasonal migrations across open grasslands.