page_title: History of bison conservation in Canada
section_title: Historical decline of the North American bison population
hierarchical_section_title: History of bison conservation in Canada / Historical decline of the North American bison population
caption_attribution_description: English: A bison
context_page_description: Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the plains bison and wood bison populations were hunted by nomadic indigenous hunters and white hunters alike. By the 1850s, the bison was nearly extinct, spurring a movement to save the few herds that remained. Federal government wildlife policy evolved from preservation of wilderness to utilitarian, scientific conservation and management of bison populations. The goals of these policies often contradicted themselves, aiming to simultaneously preserve wildlife, promote recreation, commercialize the bison, and assert state control over Aboriginal Canadians. Bison conservation efforts were shaped by the federal government's colonialist and modernist approach to Canada's north, the management of national parks and reserves, and the influence of scientific knowledge.
  Government preservation efforts began with the passing of the Unorganized Territories Game Preservation Act of 1894, which restricted legal hunting to certain times of the year. Bison herds were tracked down and moved to reserves where hunters were banned from operating.
  In 1909, Buffalo National Park in Alberta was established with a herd of 300 plains bison.
caption: American plains bison
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