american bison: the year you were born, and now

born 1950 25 000 → 500 000 individuals about 20× as many as when you were born. from tens of millions to 325 in 1884.

method Hornaday 1889 (325 in 1884); NPS and USDA census for later years, interpolated.

born 1970 30 000 → 500 000 individuals about 16.7× as many as when you were born. from tens of millions to 325 in 1884.

half a million now, and most of them are on ranches, for meat. about 30,000 are wild. saved by being farmed. that is either a rescue or a joke, and the ledger cannot tell you which.

born 1990 243 333 → 500 000 individuals about 2.1× as many as when you were born. from tens of millions to 325 in 1884.

half a million now, and most of them are on ranches, for meat. about 30,000 are wild. saved by being farmed. that is either a rescue or a joke, and the ledger cannot tell you which.

born 2010 425 000 → 500 000 individuals about 1.2× as many as when you were born. from tens of millions to 325 in 1884.

half a million now, and most of them are on ranches, for meat. about 30,000 are wild. saved by being farmed. that is either a rescue or a joke, and the ledger cannot tell you which.

how this number is built

method

Hornaday 1889 (325 in 1884); NPS and USDA census for later years, interpolated.

range

±20% on early anchors

confidence

count

weakness

'wild' vs 'ranched' is stated on screen; most of the recovery is ranched.

dispute

dispute LGR-102 · corrections are credited

data

channels.json (sign-in) · full entry · CC BY 4.0