A Conservation Success Story

A Conservation Success Story. . , In the early 1900s, we founded the American Bison Society to help save wild bison from the brink of extinction., 1700| Millions Roamed the Plains , Before the westward expansion of the United States began in the 1800s, around 30 million wild bison roamed the plains. A single herd could be one mile wide and ten miles long., 1900| On the Brink of Extinction , Bison were hunted so extensively that by 1900 the animals' numbers had plummeted from around 30 million to fewer than 1,100., 1907| Go West, Bronx Zoo Bison , To help the wild bison population rebound, in 1907, we sent 15 bison from the Bronx Zoo to a reserve in Oklahoma to breed. Shortly afterward, we also sent bison to Montana and South Dakota., 2006| Bison Bounce Back , Bronx Zoo bison played an important role in repopulating the bison herds on the plains. By 2006, wild bison numbered about 20,000, many of which descended from Bronx Zoo bison., 2016| Meet an Icon: The American Bison , Thanks to campaign efforts by WCS and the American Bison Coalition, on May 9, 2016, a new law was enacted making the bison the official U.S. National Mammal., [Captions:] , Bronx Zoo Director William Hornaday (left) and reserve Superintendent Frank Rush (in front of crate) in the Bronx Zoo, where bison were crated and shipped west., Thousands of bison skulls piled into a mountain., 1913: A train loaded with Bronx Zoo bison , next stop, South Dakota.