The buffalo has a lot of importance historically in the United States. Once existing in vast herds, the animal was hunted into near extinction in the 1800s. Market hunting, sport hunting, and the US Army all led to this severe reduction. In mid-1883, the Dakota Territorial Legislature enacted a law to protect bison, but it wasn’t very effective. In 1884, an estimated 325 bison were left, with 25 in Yellowstone. Congress tasked the army with enforcing laws to keep these buffalo from being poached