The unfortunate truth, supported by objective science, shows us that extinction of wild, freely migrating buffalo is a very real concern.

Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC) understands the complexities of wild bison in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem, as well as the threats facing this magnificent animal. This knowledge brings with it a responsibility for you and I, because any fully informed, objective person knows that the species Bison bison is currently quite endangered. Not just “at risk,” but right now, today, the buffalo are in danger of extinction.

To learn more about our efforts to obtain an official “threatened” or “endangered species” listing (with all of the protection that would afford), and to take action on behalf of the buffalo today, please follow this link.

Even as you read this, we continue our active work to prove this in the courts. When we succeed, the buffalo will not only have room to roam—but legal protections allowing them to migrate safely into the future.

The extinction-related information below offers you data and context related to the many difficulties facing the last wild buffalo—and the threats to their existence. Much work remains to be done to reach our goal.

Broadly speaking: Why and how is the survival of wild buffalo endangered?

There are about 500,000 commercially propagated bison on approximately 4,000 properties in North America. Existing “conservation practices” vary widely among private owners, are not regulated, and mostly encompass keeping the animals alive, behind fences, and in numbers great enough to survive frequent “harvesting” for commercial meat sales. Many of these ranched bison are selectively bred for characteristics deemed desireable by humans.

Escapes from these private/commercial groups are documented in Alberta, British Columbia, and Montana. After so much artificial selection for market-profiting traits, the risk to wild herds posed by the escape of hybridized individuals is significant. Escapees could establish themselves in the wild and/or crossbreed with established wild populations. If this happened with the Yellowstone herds, for example—an already extremely vulnerable population could be forever “polluted” with domestic cow genes from escaped beefalo (more on beefalo here).

You can learn about the historic slaughter era here, but to summarize: in the 19th Century, market-driven and recreational hunting eliminated the bison throughout almost all of its range in North America. To learn about the original range of buffalo, and view maps of historic bison habitat, click here!

Since that time, conservation measures have brought about limited recovery in the wild, and in “captive conservation herds” (an oxymoron, right?). Private commercial production of bison has resulted in significant numerical recovery, but does not provide for conservation of bison as a wildlife species—in the sense used for Red List designation.

The line between domestic and wild bison can be a blurry one unless you examine their genetic makeup. Even the legal status of the animal varies widely. Canada, the United States, and Mexico list bison nationally as both wildlife and domestic livestock. Legal status varies among State and Provincial jurisdictions. In Canada, four provinces and two territories list bison as both wildlife and livestock. Bison are listed by 20 states in the United Sates; 10 states list bison as wildlife, and all 20 list them as livestock. If you are confused, you are not alone!

Existing systems are failing the last remaining buffalo.

Regulatory mechanisms assure that essential habitat needs are addressed and that long-term habitat protections for a species are in place.

Within the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park, bison management includes hazing, capture, and shipment to slaughter. Under a court-mediated settlement in 2000, the Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior, and the Governor of Montana, signed an agreement that limits bison abundance and distribution in Montana by killing or hazing bison that approach park boundaries; this agreement is known as the Inter-Agency Bison Management Plan (IBMP). These actions by the National Park Service create distinct impacts on the sub-populations in the park, and prevent the Yellowstone bison from moving out of the park into important historic winter range.

The United States Forest Service administers most of the public lands that serve as Yellowstone bison habitat outside the park. Although bison are extremely rare, are designated Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, are a species of national interest, are the subject of great controversy, and are clearly impacted by agency actions such as the issuance of livestock grazing permits and other activities in bison habitat, the US Forest Service does not consider bison to be a sensitive species or a species of conservation concern. This is despite the science we offer to every agency, and our attempts to obtain an ESA listing for the buffalo.

For more information, on the endangered status of the Yellowstone buffalo, read these two papers by BFC's habitat coordinator Darrell Geist:

• The Endangered Circumstances and Status of Wild American Bison in North America Today (PDF, 5 pages)
• Why Yellowstone Bison are Threatened or Endangered with Extinction (PDF, 4 pages)

State wildlife officials in Montana and Idaho have lost most of their jurisdiction over wild bison to their livestock counterparts, who treat these unique bison as “diseased domestic livestock.” This situation is absurd, and will become illegal when—with your help—we get an ESA listing for Bison bison.

Buffalo Field Campaign and Western Watersheds Project have filed a formal petition to list Yellowstone bison as Threatened or Endangered under the Endangered Species Act. Click here to read this extensive scientific document (PDF, 61 pages).

There are other serious threats to wild, natural, free-roaming bison. You can learn more here, on our Problems Buffalo Face landing page.

Below, in a Q & A format, we offer you additional information about threats to buffalo, their conservation status, and a bunch of basic details explaining why they should have ESA protection. Note: references and citations are available here. {moofaq view=|category| id=|109| showtitle=|1| showdesc=|0| template=|arrow_green| order=|a.ordering ASC| }

We are the last line of defense for these animals. Things grow worse for them each year. Without the presence of BFC’s wonderful volunteer patrols, and without your support, circumstances would be even more dire. 

You found this page, and you just learned of the dangers facing wild buffalo. NOW PLEASE ACT by clicking here.

Will you help protect the buffalo? Will you make a donation today?

Note: all references and citations are available here.