Thanks to the natives and conservation programs, the American bison is stable and no longer in danger of extinction
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves himIl American bison, one of the largest mammals in North America, is out of danger, having risked extinction due to habitat loss and hunting.
In fact, at the end of the 1800s, the number of Bison bison reached an all-time low, being reduced to meno of 1000 specimens.
Today, thanks to conservation programs to protect the species, it is estimated that the population of wild American bison is between 30 and 60 million specimens and is stable.
In the past, the American bison inhabited the prairies of North America and constituted an important source of food for Native Americans, who also hunted them for the skin, useful for shelter and dressing.
In 1800, settlers invaded native lands and began decimating bison, killing around 50 million of them for food, for sport and above all to deprive the natives of their most important natural heritage.
After more than 100 years of absence of the American bison in the #Coahuila plains, in 2020 the @CONANP_mx managed to establish a second herd of these beautiful animals.
Look how they welcomed 2021! ?#SomosEnvironment #ConservarParaVivir #CONANP pic.twitter.com/mOxY7UJagw
— Maria Luisa Albores Gonzalez (@Mary_Luisa_AG) January 7,
Also, the settlers they have destroyed habitats of these large mammals to make room for breeding and cultivation, reducing the space available for bison.
At the end of the same century, there were fewer than a thousand bison, and it was evident the need for an intervention to protect this species.
I Native Americans, starting from the few existing specimens, they therefore began to breed bison in order to make the population grow again and, subsequently, conservation programs were started.
The Native Americans are thus saving the bison from extinction
Today, although bison numbers are nowhere near the same as they used to be, the population is stable and the bison appears to be out of danger.
However, there remains a problem, yet to be solved: since the conservation herds count few specimens (about 30 thousand), there is a loss of genetic diversity which could expose animals to great risks.
La battle to restore the bison it is therefore not finished. In addition to working to increase the number of specimens, bodies, associations and communities are committed to protecting the genetic variability of these animals, to prevent a disease or other events from threatening the species and frustrating the efforts made so far.
Sources of reference: WWF / National Geographic / IUCN
Read also:
- The European bison returns to the forests after 200 years: 17 specimens released in Romania (video)
- Blind bison and calf become inseparable friends in a sanctuary that recovers abused animals
- The story of the cow who escaped from the farm to be a bison
