The American Bison Sanctuary

Every bison here has a unique personality. They receive veterinary care when needed. Not one of them will ever be hunted or see a slaughterhouse.

Support the Herd
The First in the World

Saving America's
National Mammal,
One Life at a Time!

I provide permanent, lifelong sanctuary for rescued bison and other animals on protected rangeland in Montana. This is not a farm or a reservation. No animal here will ever be hunted, slaughtered, or discarded. When a calf breaks its leg, I take him to a veterinarian. When an animal grows old, they do so with dignity. Even when they die of natural causes, they get a respectful burial.

The herd: Allie, Tansy, Belo, Ray, Greta, Jamela, Sabrina, Sir William, Boogie, Tyson, Faith, Amara, BB, Mama, Lakota — and many more. I vaccinate my cows to prevent herd growth. Because this is a private sanctuary, it is not a reserve or a farm.

I am also home to a couple of pot-bellied pigs named Cap and Molly, and two steers named Jack and Andrew. Every animal has a soul and a name. They matter.

I am a former Wall Street managing director who traded twenty-five-million-dollar minimum accounts to help those that do not even have a bank account. This sanctuary operates as a program of Bela Animal Legal Defense and Rescue, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization — the first dedicated bison sanctuary in the world.

27
Bison in My Care
1st
Bison Sanctuary in the World
2016
Year Founded
Jay McCleary with Allie the bison licking his face
"They remember every kindness. And every cruelty. That's why they trust so few people — and why earning that trust changes you."
Jaysen McCleary standing beside a full-grown bison

From Wall Street to Montana

I spent over a decade on Wall Street — Lehman Brothers, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, and Bear Stearns — predicting markets and managing risk at the highest levels. After watching my mother die from leukemia, asking her best friend what she did right, I decided to put my talents to work in an area that felt more meaningful. As I drove across the West, when I came to Montana, it felt like the home I'd always wanted. The American bison has always been close to my heart, and I believe they deserve a sanctuary — where they could be bison. I started by saving a couple of rejected babies: Tansy, Allie, and Ray.

What started with a handful of rescued bison grew into the first dedicated bison sanctuary on Earth — a place where animals rescued from slaughter, rodeo exploitation, and certain death as rejected orphans live out their natural lives on open rangeland beneath the mountains of Montana. Not a reserve. Not a range. A sanctuary — where injured animals see a veterinarian, not a rifle.

Bison are highly intelligent, wildly athletic, and dangerous. They can jump a six-foot wall running uphill and can kill a person with a single motion. They live for approximately thirty-five years. And each one has an extremely distinct personality. They form friendships, have a sense of humor, and hold grudges. The matriarch of this herd was born with a deformed neck. She waddles when she walks. But everyone knows she's the smartest one on the property. She also happens to be the friendliest bison on the property. The herd chose intelligence over strength, but they bring both.

I live among the herd. I feed them by hand. They come when I call. The bond between my two-thousand-pound bison and me are built on nothing but love and respect — and from that, trust is earned daily.

Jay and Ray the bull - the bond of trust
— Jay McCleary, Founder & Director

The White Bison

Among the rarest animals on Earth, the white bison holds profound spiritual significance for Native American nations. The Lakota, Cheyenne, and many Indigenous peoples regard the white bison as a sacred messenger — a sign of hope, unity, and answered prayers. Native Americans believe an albino bison is one of the most sacred beings you can see in your lifetime.

Faith lives here — a white bison entrusted to my care as a living reminder of the covenants between humans and the natural world. Her presence here is not a curiosity. It is a responsibility.

Protecting them means protecting something that belongs to all of us.

Faith the white bison standing on the patio with mountains behind
Faith the white bison resting at night

Montana

The sanctuary spans fifty acres of open rangeland in Montana — two ponds, sheltering timber, and pastures that stretch to the mountains. This is bison country. The way it was. The way it should be.

Blazing orange sunset over the sanctuary

Visit the Sanctuary

The American Bison Sanctuary is a private sanctuary — not a public park or a petting zoo. Please understand that we cannot accommodate unscheduled visitors. These are wild animals, and their safety and peace come first.

Private tours are available for groups of up to 10 by request. Leave your information below and I will be in touch.

Follow the Herd

In May of 2026 I begin sharing more of the daily life at the sanctuary on social media — feeding time, new arrivals, calving season, and the quiet moments that remind you why this place exists.

@americanbisonsanctuary on Instagram

Mountain highway curving through green peaks