Reuters — President Barack Obama on Monday (May 9) officially designated the American bison as the national mammal of the United States, elevating the stature of the once almost extinct mammal to highlight its cultural and economic importance.
The American bison, the majestic, wooly creature that roamed the Great Plains by the millions before it was hunted to the brink of extinction in the late-1800s, will now share the rarefied air enjoyed by other national symbols like the bald eagle.
Bison once numbered in the tens of millions west of the Mississippi, but extermination campaigns in the late 19th century cut their numbers to fewer than 50 that found refuge at Yellowstone National Park.
They have since rebounded and in recent years, the herd inside Yellowstone has exceeded the current population target of 3,000, triggering aggressive culling.
