Editing American bison (section)

==As livestock==
[[File:Buffalo+meat+cans.jpg|left|thumb|Canned bison meat for sale]]Bison are increasingly raised for [[meat]], [[Hide (skin)|hide]], [[wool]], and [[dairy]] products. The majority of American bison in the world are raised for human consumption or fur clothing. Bison meat is generally considered to taste very similar to beef, but is lower in fat and [[cholesterol]], yet higher in protein than beef,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bisoncentral.com/index.php?s=&c=67&d=99&a=1056&w=2&r=Y|title=&#124; National Bison Association|publisher=Bisoncentral.com|access-date=February 19, 2011|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110120234037/http://bisoncentral.com/index.php?s=&c=67&d=99&a=1056&w=2&r=Y|archive-date=January 20, 2011 |url-status= live}}</ref> which has led to the development of [[beefalo]], a fertile hybrid of bison and domestic cattle.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/meat-preparation/focus-on-bison/CT_Index|title=Bison from Farm to Table|publisher=USDA|access-date=January 6, 2017}}</ref> In 2005, about 35,000 bison were processed for meat in the U.S., with the National Bison Association and [[United States Department of Agriculture|USDA]] providing a "Certified American Buffalo" program with birth-to-consumer tracking of bison via [[Radio-frequency identification|RFID]] ear tags. There is [[kashrut|kosher]] bison meat; these bison are slaughtered at one of the few kosher mammal slaughterhouses in the U.S., and the meat is then distributed nationwide.

Bison are found in publicly and privately held herds. [[Custer State Park]] in [[South Dakota]] is home to 1,500 bison, one of the largest publicly held herds in the world, but some question the genetic purity of the animals. Wildlife officials believe that free roaming herds with minimal [[Introgression|cattle introgression]] on public lands in North America can be found only in: the [[Yellowstone Park bison herd]];<ref name=nwfj>{{cite journal|author=Staff|title=Restoring a Prairie Icon|journal=National Wildlife|volume=50|issue=1|pages=20–25|date=November 15, 2011|url=http://www.nwf.org/news-and-magazines/national-wildlife/animals/archives/2012/restoring-bison.aspx}}</ref> the [[Henry Mountains bison herd]] at the [[Book Cliffs]] and Henry Mountains in Utah; at [[Wind Cave National Park]] in South Dakota; [[Fort Peck Indian Reservation]] in Montana; Mackenzie Bison Sanctuary in the [[Northwest Territories]]; [[Elk Island National Park]] and [[Wood Buffalo National Park]] in Alberta; [[Grasslands National Park]] and [[Prince Albert National Park]] in Saskatchewan. 

Another population, the [[Antelope Island bison herd]] on [[Antelope Island]] in Utah, consisting of 550 to 700 bison, is also one of the largest and oldest public herds in the United States, but the bison in that herd are considered to be only semifree roaming, since they are confined to the Antelope Island. In addition, recent genetic studies indicate that, like most bison herds, the Antelope Island bison herd has a small number of genes from domestic cattle. In 2002, the United States government donated some bison calves from South Dakota and Colorado to the Mexican government. Their descendants live in the Mexican nature reserves El Uno Ranch at Janos and Santa Elena Canyon, [[Chihuahua (state)|Chihuahua]], and Boquillas del Carmen, [[Coahuila]], located near the southern banks of the [[Rio Grande]], and around the grassland state line with [[Texas]] and [[New Mexico]].

Recent genetic studies of privately owned herds of bison show that many of them include animals with genes from domestic cattle.<ref name=nwfj/> For example, the [[Catalina Island bison herd|herd on Santa Catalina Island, California]], isolated since 1924 after being brought there for a movie shoot, were found to have cattle introgression.<ref>{{cite news|last=Chang|first=Alicia|title =Study: Catalina bison aren't purebred|work=USA Today| agency =Associated Press|date=September 21, 2007| url =https://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2007-09-21-3401087937_x.htm|access-date =March 14, 2008 }}</ref> As few as 12,000 to 15,000 pure bison are estimated to remain in the world. The numbers are uncertain because the tests used to date—[[mitochondrial DNA]] analysis—indicate only if the maternal line (back from mother to mother) ever included domesticated bovines, thus say nothing about possible male input in the process. Most hybrids were found to look exactly like purebred bison; therefore, appearance is not a good indicator of genetics.

The size of the Canadian domesticated herd (genetic questions aside) grew dramatically through the 1990s and 2000s. The 2006 Census of Agriculture reported the Canadian herd at 195,728 head, a 34.9% increase since 2001.<ref name="statcan.gc.ca">{{cite web|url=http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/96-325-x/2007000/article/10504-eng.htm |title=Canadian Agriculture at a Glance: Bison on the comeback trail |publisher=Statcan.gc.ca |date=April 9, 2009 |access-date=May 29, 2013}}</ref> Of this total, over 95% were located in [[Western Canada]], and less than 5% in [[Eastern Canada]]. [[Alberta]] was the province with the largest herd, accounting for 49.7% of the herd and 45.8% of the farms. The next-largest herds were in [[Saskatchewan]] (23.9%), [[Manitoba]] (10%), and [[British Columbia]] (6%). The main producing regions were in the northern parts of the [[Canadian prairies]], specifically in the [[parkland belt]], with the [[Peace River region]] (shared between Alberta and British Columbia) being the most important cluster, accounting for 14.4% of the national herd.<ref name="statcan.gc.ca"/> Canada also exports bison meat, totaling {{Convert|2075253|kg}} in 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/96-325-x/2007000/t/6000058-eng.htm|title=Table 1 Bison meat exports continue to climb, 2001 to 2006|publisher=Statcan.gc.ca|date=April 3, 2009|access-date=May 29, 2013}}</ref>

A proposal known as [[Buffalo Commons]] has been suggested by a handful of academics and policymakers to restore large parts of the drier portion of the [[Great Plains]] to native [[prairie]] grazed by bison. Proponents argue that current agricultural use of the [[shortgrass prairie]] is not [[sustainable]], pointing to periodic disasters, including the [[Dust Bowl]], and continuing significant human population loss over the last 60 years. However, this plan is opposed by some who live in the areas in question.<ref name=nwfj/>

=== Domestication ===
Despite being the closest relatives of domestic cattle native to North America, bison were never domesticated by Native Americans. Later attempts of domestication by Europeans prior to the 20th century met with limited success. Bison were described as having a "wild and ungovernable temper";<ref>{{Cite web |date=2003-10-21 |title=Bison Domestication |url=https://www.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/midewin/bisondomest.html |website=Illinois State Museum}}</ref> they can jump close to {{convert|6|ft|abbr=on|order=flip}} vertically,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/species-spotlight-american-bison|title=Species Spotlight: American Bison &#124; Pages &#124; WWF|website=World Wildlife Fund}}</ref> and run {{convert|35|-|45|mph|km/h|order=flip|round=5|abbr=on}}<ref name="Gildarts" /><ref name="BisonFactSheet" /> when agitated. This agility and speed, combined with their great size and weight, makes bison herds difficult to confine, as they can easily escape or destroy most fencing systems, including most [[razor wire]]. The most successful systems involve large, {{convert|20|ft|m|order=flip|adj=on|0}} fences made from welded steel I beams sunk at least {{convert|6|ft|m|order=flip|abbr=on}} into concrete.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}} These fencing systems, while expensive, require very little maintenance. Furthermore, making the fence sections overlap so the grassy areas beyond are not visible prevents the bison from trying to get to new range.

It has been alleged that the Aztec emperor [[Moctezuma II]] kept a bison at his private zoo (''[[Totocalli]]'') in [[Tenochtitlan]], observed by the first Spanish conquistadors in the region; this would provide proof of Native Americans keeping bison in captivity, serve as an extremely far range extension south, and be the very first observation of bison by European colonists. These claims originate from [[Juan Díaz de Solís]]'s interpretation of [[Bernal Díaz del Castillo|Bernal Diaz del Castillo]]'s accounts of the ''totocalli'', in which de Solís claims the conquistadors observed "''the Mexican Bull; a wonderful composition of divers Animals''." However, further analysis of del Castillo's account shows no such mention of such an animal, and the mention of this "Mexican Bull" was likely an embellishment by de Solís.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Haines |first=Francis D. |date=1940 |title=The Western Limits of the Buffalo Range |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40486414 |journal=The Pacific Northwest Quarterly |volume=31 |issue=4 |pages=389–398 |jstor=40486414 |issn=0030-8803}}</ref>