By the year 1900, the American bison population had been decimated from an estimated 30 to 60 million animals in the early 1800s to a critically low point. Historical records indicate that there were only about 300 to 1,000 bison remaining in North America at the turn of the century. Most of these survivors were in private herds or small, protected groups, such as a handful of wild bison in Yellowstone National Park. This near-extinction was the result of systematic overhunting for hides, tongues, and bones, as well as a deliberate government-sanctioned effort to eliminate the primary food source of Plains Indians. Fortunately, conservation efforts led by figures like William Hornaday and the American Bison Society helped the species recover. Today, there are approximately 500,000 bison in North America, though the majority are in commercial herds. This recovery is considered one of the greatest success stories in the history of wildlife conservation, transitioning the bison from the absolute brink of total extinction to its current status as a national mammal.