EXPLORE WILD HOPE

The Osage nation has a cultural connection to bison going back countless generations, but their connection to the bison was severed by the species' near-extermination in the 1800s.

Bison are a keystone species that shape the prairie ecosystem through their grazing and wallowing. That’s why Bob Hamilton, a researcher with The Nature Conservancy, calls them the “kings of the prairie.”

First Nation tribes and conservationists join forces to rescue the species from extinction and return these mighty giants to their home on the prairie.

Bob Hamilton is the Director of the Tallgrass Initiative for The Nature Conservancy in Oklahoma.

Jann Hayman is the secretary of natural resources for the Osage Nation.

Pat Thomas was vice president and general curator for the WCS and the associate director of the Bronx Zoo.

Through a process called trophic cascade, the return of sea otters is restoring balance, keeping crab populations in check, and allowing vital seagrass meadows to thrive once again.

Dehorning rhinos — often seen as a drastic step in conservation — has effectively curbed poaching in South Africa, according to a new study.

Wildlife rehabilitation is the process of nursing sick, injured, and orphaned wildlife back to health so that they can be returned to the wild.

When removing a top predator from an ecosystem causes a domino effect down the entire food chain, it's called a trophic cascade.