American bison, commonly known as buffalo, are massive bovines with shaggy coats and a calm confidence that comes with 2,000 pounds of muscle. These rugged, powerful keystones are the largest land animals in North America. Bison have been a symbol of America’s endurance, resiliency, and strength since the beginning. They were sacred to native Americans when Europeans first stepped foot on North America and quickly became important to colonists who hunted them for meat, leather, and to preserve grazing land for cattle. 

 

On May 9, 2016 American president Barack Obama signed the National Bison Legacy Act, naming the American bison as the national mammal of the United States of America.

Colonists nearly hunted bison to extinction before conservation efforts saved the species. Captive breeding programs, strict hunting regulations, protected status, and herd management all helped to keep America’s mammal going. There are roughly a half million bison in the world today, though most are livestock on ranches. 30,000 remain in the wild on government and private land.

 

The American bison has been an American icon for the past 250 years and it will continue as long as freedom and liberty remain.