Keeping Bison Wild and Healthy

Today, the Department of the Interior (DOI) supports 19 bison herds in 12 states, for a total of approximately 11,000 bison over 4.6 million acres of DOI and adjacent lands. The 2020 DOI Bison Conservation Initiative includes 5 goals. The graphic on this page details the Wild, Healthy Bison Herds goal - a DOI commitment to conserve bison as healthy wildlife.

Alternative text is available below the graphic.

Click on the image for larger version.

Alternative Text for Infographic

Conserving Bison as Native American Wildlife

"A wild bison is a member of a herd with large enough population size to prevent loss of genetic variation and with low levels of cattle or subspecies introgression, subject to some of the forces of natural selection, including competition for breeding opportunities." DOI Bison Genetics Report (Drath and Gogan 2010)

Image caption: Eight bison walking by the Grand Prismatic Spring. Photo by Yueru Hao.

Wild genetically diverse bison herds are better adapted to survive disease and other forms of natural selection pressures.

Wildlife health is not the absence of disease, but is rather the ability to adapt and thrive in an environment of changing stressors, including pathogens and parasites. DOI Bison Health History and Status Report (Jones et al. 2020)

Image Caption: The National Bison Range in Montana. Photo by Ryan Hagerty, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.