Wild Bison are Coming Back + Protected in Colorado

Interestingly, it’s perfectly legal to own bison, a massive animal similar to the common buffalo, as a pet in Colorado. Well, technically, they’re classified as livestock animals, or at least they were.

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Now, it would appear that bison are the latest animal to be reintroduced to the state as a protected, wild animal, years after a historically shaky and unfortunate past.

Colorado Has a Shaky Past with Bison

Back in the 1800s, when Colorado’s statehood was in its infancy, the Centennial State was rife with mining and, unfortunately, a “systematic slaughter” of the state’s native bison. In fact, the senseless campaign saw the last of Colorado’s wild bison killed by 1897 in the South Park area. 

The mass slaughter of the animal was carried out across the nation, reducing the population from, reportedly, nearly 80 million to hundreds by 1889.

Wild Bison Will Now Be Protected in Colorado

Last May, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed Senate Bill 53 into law, which allows bison to be classified as either livestock or wildlife, as opposed to the previous classification that only allowed the animal to be considered livestock.

Most recently, on October 9, 2025, a meeting was held by the Parks and Wildlife Commission that expanded upon the new law, and now, wild bison that migrate to Colorado from other states will be considered a protected species.

The bison that wander across Colorado’s borders into the state are largely crossing from Utah and entering the Centennial State near Grand Junction. The bison come from Utah’s Book Cliffs herds and are estimated to consist of roughly 600 specimens.

Read More: Large Pets You Can Legally Own In Colorado

Check out the full story here.