Bison
GYE Timeline
Start of the 1800s:
Campaign to get rid of Native Americans by killing thousands of Buffalo.
By 1880:
Bison are nearing extinction as numbers dwindle into double digits. About two dozen find refuge in the Pelican Valley.
1902:
Yellowstone manager buys 21 bison from private owners. Raised near Mammoth @ Lamar Buffalo Ranch.
1954:
Bison become free-roaming and grow to about 1,300 in number. Growth was limited as managers began culling numbers. Survival rates were high. Bison were either gifted to supplement other herds or killed and given to Native American tribes.
1969:
Moratorium on culling began causing Bison numbers to increase dramatically.
1970:
The population of Buffalo was around 500.
1990:
The population of Bison was around 3,000.
1975:
Bison begin to migrate across the North and West boundaries of the park. Bison began to face modern problems as they needed more time to adapt to modern industrialization and urban development.
Between 1985 and 2000:
About 3,100 bison were killed to prevent the spread of brucellosis between bison and livestock.