American bison were nearly hunted to extinction in the 19th century. Their remarkable recovery is both a conservation success and raises ongoing welfare questions about managed populations.
Bison recovery from near-extinction is one of conservation's great achievements, but the distinction between wildlife conservation and livestock management blurs for most of these animals. Commercial bison on private ranches are managed for beef production with welfare standards no better than cattle. Truly wild bison in Yellowstone face a different welfare challenge: migrations outside the park bring them into contact with federal and state management programs that kill thousands of animals annually to prevent brucellosis transmission to cattle. Individual bison shot at Yellowstone boundaries are experiencing a welfare cost that the conservation success story rarely acknowledges. The tension between wild bison freedom and livestock disease control remains one of the thorniest wildlife welfare issues in the American West.