Sprawling grasslands and prairies are home to North America’s largest mammal: the American bison! Created in partnership with the AZA's SAFE North American Bison and American Prairie, The Roam Bracelet tracks bison on an interactive map and helps Fahlo support their conservation.
Meet your Bison and learn their story. Reveal exclusive photos, stats, and updates along the way. Follow their path on an interactive tracking map.
- Brand: Fahlo
- Stone: Prairie Stone
- Sizing: Elastic, one size fits most
- QR code provided to unlock interactive map - compatible on smart phones only.
How does tracking work?
- Tracked via multiple methods: GPS ear tag, satellite collar, and visual identification
- This animal’s safety guarded with the Fahlo Protection Ping™
Every Fahlo tracking experience includes the Fahlo Protection Ping™. This indicates each animal’s unique path may be live, delayed, or historical based on required safety protocol in accordance with our nonprofit partners.
While the experience of following an animal’s journey remains the same for you, we work behind the scenes with our partners to ensure this experience is presented in a way that keeps the animals safe, one step or splash at a time.
Why are bison tracked?
Bison are tracked to understand their crucial role as ecosystem engineers, aiding in grassland restoration, improving soil health, and boosting biodiversity. It also helps manage herds for conservation and allows us to study their social behaviors and facilitate rematriation efforts (restoring the land to indigenous stewardship), providing vital data for ecology, tribal resource management, and even livestock science.
Tracking also shows how grazing, wallowing, and movement create diverse plant life, enrich soil, and provide habitats for other wildlife, benefiting the entire prairie ecosystem. These monitoring efforts reveal how bison move through habitats, helping to identify ideal areas for bison reintroduction and manage landscapes to mimic historical patterns. Researchers, conservationists, and herd managers study group dynamics and how social bonds influence movement, while continuing to monitor herd size, health, disease, age, and sex ratios, informing decisions on population management.
How are bison tracked?
Bison are primarily tracked using modern, unobtrusive technology like solar-powered GPS ear tags and satellite-linked collars, allowing researchers to follow individuals and monitor herd movements, examine individual behavior, habitat use, and herd dynamics in real-time.
These methods are used to manage herds in conservation areas and national parks. Other methods include aerial surveys to locate and monitor free-roaming herds in places like Alaska. Additionally, ear tags and microchips, as well as individual characteristics such as horn shape, are used to track individual animals, especially during herd, or “round-up” procedures. Finally, drones have been used to gather data on movement and social groups.
Does tracking harm the bison?
No, tracking does not harm bison or affect their natural behaviors.
To learn more about the work our partner is doing, visit their site directly at americanprairie.org
