Threatened North American Bison

By the end of the 19th century, more than 50 million bison had been exterminated from North America; by the year 1900, less than 2000 bison existed on the North American continent. Conservation efforts in both Canada and the Unites States saved this magnificent ice-aged mammal from extinction and although more than 1 million bison now live in Canada and the United States, only about 16,000 are considered wild and genetically pure; Yellowstone National Park has 6000 bison and approximately 10,000 individuals live in Northern Canada. The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) considers the bison "nearly threatened" because their survival as a species is dependent on continual human conservatory intervention.