North American Bison is National Mammal

President Obama recently signed the “National Bison Legacy Act,” which adopts the North American Bison as the National Mammal. In a blog post, the Interior Department said “the bison joins the bald eagle as an official symbol of our country.”

The Hagstrom Report said the Interior Department was referring to an extraordinary effort in the early 20^th century to save the Bison from extinction.  At one point in history, more than 40 million bison roamed North America, but by the late 1800’s, fewer than 1,000 remained.  Today, an estimated 500,000 Bison live across North America.

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