It took less than a century.  A bison population that once numbered in the millions and stretched across North America was reduced, in a relative blink, to just a few dozen animals primarily in Yellowstone National Park.  With the bison’s existence teetering on the edge of extinction by the late nineteenth century, a handful of alarmed politicians and citizens responded and slowly but steadily, began to secure a new future for this icon of the American West.

In many ways it is one of the greatest conservation comeback stories in American history.  Yet, as award-winning author Roger L. Di Silestro vividly explores with a blend of natural history, modern science, and historical context, this conservation “success” is qualified.  Today, most bison live in commercial, not wild, herds.  But in hopes of better ensuring the species’ long-term survival, biologists, land managers, and the American Indian community are leading efforts to create wildlife corridors, restore prairies, and renew cultural connections to bison.

The question now is, are bison doomed to be fenced and contained like so many cattle?  Or are we willing to coexist with them as wild animals who need freedom to roam?  The answers may decide the fate of not only bison but other wild megafauna around the world.