How did hunting nearly cause the extinction of the North American bison?

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An American bison, or plains buffalo (Bison bison), stands in tall yellow grass with open plains in the background. — bovid American bison, or plains buffalo (*Bison bison*).

The North American bison was driven to the brink of extinction during the 18th and 19th centuries due to widespread, indiscriminate slaughter by white settlers. While Indigenous peoples had hunted bison for generations without significantly impacting the population, the arrival of white civilization introduced commercial, subsistence, and sport hunting on a massive scale.1

The expansion of railroads across the Great Plains in the 1860s accelerated this destruction, as hunters—such as William F. Cody—killed thousands of animals to supply construction crews. Beyond commercial gain, the slaughter was also used as a deliberate political tool to deprive Native Americans of their primary source of food, clothing, and shelter, forcing them onto reservations. This unremitting destruction decimated the herds, leaving fewer than 1,000 bison in North America by 1889.1

The near-extinction of this species serves as a stark reminder of the ethical necessity of wildlife conservation. Concerted efforts by conservationists around 1900 eventually secured the survival of the species in protected preserves and ranches.1