There are only two remaining species of bison left on the entire Earth, and one of them is starting to see a rebound.
The wood bison, a subspecies of the American bison/buffalo, is going to be removed from the Endangered Species List and placed on the threatened species list later today, according to the Outdoor Hub. Historically, the wood bison occupied much of Alaska, but their current range is limited to Canada now. Canadians have listed the wood bison as threatened since 1988, and North America’s largest land mammal has been classified as endangered in the U.S. since 1973.
“Recovery actions have greatly increased the number of herds and animals in Canada. However, because threats still remain, primarily from disease, loss of habitat, and hybridization with plains bison, the species remains listed as threatened in Canada. Our classification of wood bison under the ESA has no bearing on how Canada manages their animals or the decisions they make on classification,” writes the Outdoor Hub.
Hopefully these numbers, and that of their southern cousin, the plains bison, continue to recover to the point where all hunters can start enjoying bison hunts in the future. –Brian McClintock
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