The Myth of Bison in Yellowstone

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The myths about bison, I think maybe a big thing for people to understand is how pervasive they were on the landscape 150 years ago. They're amazingly prevalent part of the ecosystem. It's hard for me to understand how you can go from 30 million bison and then within 20, 30 year period, they're gone. How did that happen over 20 or 30 years? Well, I think that's hard to understand.

Bison bison! Not just something to holler into the sky, but also the scientific name for North America's majestic wild bovines that once roamed the plains in the tens of millions. What's up with their humps? On what occasion do they wear capes? What noises do they make? How many are out there? What are the best ways to help them? In this special episode, you get 4x the usual number of ologists as we talk to archeologist Dr. Ken Cannon, wildlife biologist Dr. Dan McNulty, Alie's cousin Boyd and his wife Lila Evans, of the Blackfeet Tribe, who are bison ranchers based in Northern Montana. Also, once and for all: is it buffalo or bison? And can Alie hug one?

A donation went to: InterTribal Bison Council (ITBC)

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Sound editing by Jarrett Sleeper of MindJam Media & Steven Ray Morris

Theme song by Nick Thorburn