In the 1800's hunting, changes in land use and
government policies brought the bison near to extinction. In the
early 1800's the bison populationnumbered in the tens of millions.
By the end of that century there were fewer than 1,000 left. However,
in recent years interest in raising bison has grown among breeders,
and today there are about 150,000 in North America. They are no
longer endangered.