American bison are being restored to rangelands across North America, with welfare considerations spanning conservation herd management, commercial bison farming practices, and the challenge of maintaining natural behaviors.
Bison welfare differs significantly between conservation herds, where animals live semi-wild lives on extensive landscapes, and commercial operations, where animals may be more confined and handled more frequently. Conservation herds face welfare challenges at human-wildlife interface points: boundary capture, brucellosis testing, and transport. Commercial bison, while generally raised on pasture with more freedom than beef cattle, may face higher-stress handling given their more reactive temperament compared to domesticated cattle. Welfare-positive bison management uses low-stress handling techniques, minimal unnecessary intervention, and habitat that allows full expression of grazing, wallowing, and social behaviors.