Bison live in the North American prairies. Up until about 200 years ago, they roamed the wide plains of North America in such large numbers that the continent's discoverers were unable to count them. According to estimates there must have been approximately 60-65 million animals.

The bison is deemed North America's most important wild animal. It is part of American history and an essential element of American culture and its development.

For tens of thousands of years, the incredibly huge bison herds have supplied the native Americans with the raw material required for their clothes and food. The subsequent discoverers of the "New World" and the early settlers also made use of this vital food in the beginning. During the progressive settlement of the west in the 19th century, the bison herds were almost completely exterminated owing to unrestrained killing and official directives.
Eventually, protective regulations ordered by the government as well as the courageous interventions of several farmers saved the remaining bison – less than 1000 – from becoming extinct. At present, approximately 450 000 of this primeval-looking species of wild cattle live on farms and in North-American wildlife preserves. They form the foundations for a new important industry in the agricultural economy.