Bison

For thousands of years, bison have helped shape the prairies by grazing on native grasses, aerating the soil and carrying seeds across the landscape. But when colonial expansion and commercial hunting drove bison to the brink of extinction in the late 19th century, the grasslands changed, too. Native plants disappeared, habitats were lost, and Indigenous communities were cut off from the creature, which they called buffalo, that was central to their cultures and ways of life.

In this episode of This Is Wild, host Aliya Jasmine explores the growing movement to bring bison home, and why their return goes hand in hand with restoring the native grasses that sustain them. From Indigenous-led rematriation efforts to WWF-Canada’s work growing native seeds for grassland restoration, communities are rebuilding the relationships between bison, plants, people and the land. Because bringing back a keystone species is about helping their entire ecosystem thrive.

To learn more about WWF-Canada's Seed Orchard Program, head to wwf.ca/thisiswild

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If you have any questions or suggestions for the show, you can email us at thisiswild@wwfcanada.org