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The Yellowstone bison story covers more than one hundred years of struggle and conflict surrounding one of America's most majestic animals. In the early1800's, an estimated 65 million bison roamed throughout the continent of North America. However, hunting had a devastating effect on the bison and by 1890, fewer than 1,000 remained! Even with the establishment of Yellowstone National Park, real protection for the bison did not occur until the U.S. Army arrived in 1886 to protect the park's animals. Due to protection there were approximately 1,500 bison in Yellowstone by 1954. In the 1970's and 1980's, there were a series of cool, wet summers followed by mild winters. These conditions allowed for an abundance of grasses for the bison to feed on and a reduction in the winter mortality rate. By the winter of 1997, there were approximately 3,500 bison in Yellowstone National Park.

The bison is truly a majestic animal. An adult bull bison may be six feet tall at the shoulder and weigh 900 kilograms (nearly a ton). Females look like the males except that they are smaller and have slender horns. Bison may appear big and slow, but they can run up to 48 kilometers per hour. Yellowstone visitors are gored every year, because they venture too near in attempts to photograph the animals and unable to run at more than 15 miles an hour.

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Bighorn sheep once numbered in the millions in western United States. By 1900, during an "epoch of relentless destruction by the skin hunters" bighorn numbers were reduced to a few hundred in the United States. In 1897, it was estimated that there were about 100-150 in Yellowstone. Bighorn sheep are named for the large, curved horns borne by the males, or rams. Females, or ewes, also have horns, but they are short. Sheep range in color from light brown to grayish or dark, chocolate brown, with a white rump and lining on the back of all four legs. Rocky Mountain bighorn females weigh up to 90 kilograms, and males occasionally exceed 136 kilograms. Annual surveys of bighorn indicate that the resident herd on Yellowstone's northern range consists of at least 150-225 animals.