The annual slaughter of bison is well underway. During the winter months, bison struggle to find food in the deep snow within the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park. In order to survive, they venture beyond Yellowstone's borders in search of food. Bison do not receive a warm welcome and are promptly hazed back into the park. Those that don't cooperate are captured for brucellosis testing. Few are returned to the wild.

Arguments have been made that a minimum viable population for bison is around 580 individuals. Compare this number to the up to 60 million bison that once roamed the plains and it's hard to imagine how less than one percent of historic numbers could equal successful population numbers.

The wild bison populations of YNP average around 3,400 individuals. When citing bison numbers, the additional 430,000 or more bison living on private land or raised as livestock are often counted. How many of these bison are actually hybridized with cattle are unknown, but estimates indicate less than 7,000 of the total number of bison are not hybrids.

Bison should be encouraged to roam across a greater portion of their former range, and not just on private reserves. This American icon deserves to be treasured for generations to come.