Adorable and ultra rare 1-in-10-million white bison is born in Wyoming – with ‘little white ball of fluff’ considered the most sacred living thing on Earth among some Native American tribesStaff at Bear River State Park saw a ‘little white ball of fluff’ when the calf was born on May 16 weighing just 30 pounds- which is half of that of other newbornsIt was born to one of the park’s two white bison heifers, which arrived in 2021, and it is the first to be born thereThe sex of the calf is still unknown as getting too close to the animal would cause the herd stress
A state park in Wyoming has beaten the odds to welcome the birth of an ultra rare white bison.
Staff at Bear River State Park saw a ‘little white ball of fluff’ when the one-in-ten-million calf was born on May 16. It weighs just 30 pounds – half the size of the average newborn.
The calf was born to one of the park’s two white bison heifers, which arrived in 2021, and it is the first to be born there.
The sex of the calf is still unknown as getting too close to the animal would cause the herd stress.
White bison are incredibly rare throughout the US and are considered sacred in many Native American tribes.
A state park in Wyoming has beaten the odds to welcome the birth of an ultra rare white bison
Staff at Bear River State Park saw a ‘little white ball of fluff’ when the calf was born on May 16 weighing just 30 pounds- which is half of that of other newborns
The calf was born at around 7am and it was up and feeding within 15 minutes and is healthy despite its small weight.
It was born to a white buffalo called Wyoming Hope and staff suspect the father is a bull named Snort.
Park superintendent Tyfani Sager said: ‘It was up and suckling on mom within 15 minutes after it was born.’
She added that it sleeps, feeds and runs around in circles in a manner often seen in cats and dogs called the ‘zoomies’.
The white buffalo at Bear River contain Charolais cattle DNA which is what gives them their snowy fur.
This feature is rare but not as unusual as albino bison which only occur in around one in 10 million births.
‘Most of the bison you find anymore have some cattle genetics,’ Sager told Cowboy State Daily.
‘They were nearly hunted to extinction by the late 1800s. People got concerned about extinction and cattle inbreeding was used. A white bison birth is still fairly rare.’
White bison are incredibly rare throughout the US and are considered sacred in many Native American tribes
The white buffalo at Bear River contain Charolais cattle DNA which is what gives them their snowy fur
A white buffalo calf is ‘the most sacred living thing on Earth’ to Native American tribes including Sioux, Cherokee, Navajo, Lakota and Dakota, according to the National Parks Service.
‘Some American Indians say the birth of a white calf is an omen because the birth takes place in the most unexpected places and often happens among the poorest of people,’ it said.
‘The birth is sacred within the American Indian communities, because it brings a sense of hope and is a sign that good times are about to happen.’
There has been a huge rise in the number of visitors to the park since the birth of the white buffalo.
It usually sees around 1,000 visitors a day but this has increased by 30 per cent as people try to get a glimpse of the rare calf.
Share or comment on this article:
Source link
CHECK OUT: Top Travel Destinations
READ MORE: Travel News
