American bison recovered from near-extinction to over 500,000 animals; their welfare in managed herds and their role in prairie ecosystem restoration are both significant.
Commercial bison herds, while contributing to population recovery, often lack the ecological context of wild bison - wide ranging, complex predator-prey dynamics, and full prairie ecosystem engagement. Yellowstone bison represent the closest approximation to wild behavioral welfare, but face management conflicts with ranchers over brucellosis. Prairie restoration programs that return bison to large landscapes address both conservation and welfare simultaneously.