The Extermination of the American Bison

William T. (William Temple) Hornaday

1854–1937

A pioneering zoologist and conservation advocate, he helped turn public alarm over vanishing wildlife into one of the earliest organized campaigns to save the American bison. He also shaped the rise of modern zoos in the United States, from the Smithsonian’s early live-animal collections to the New York Zoological Park, now the Bronx Zoo.