Staffers at the Bear River state park in south-west Wyoming welcomed four brown bison calves this spring and thought the birthing season was finished.
But earlier this month, as staff visited the animals’ pasture, they saw a “little white ball of fluff”, park superintendent Tyfani Sager said.
One of Bear River’s two white heifers had given birth to a white calf, the first in the park’s 32-year history, Sager said. The mother’s name is Wyoming Hope. Staff suspect the father is a bull named Snort.
White bison are extremely rare throughout the American west and are considered sacred to many Native American tribes. Bear River’s white buffalo contain Charolais cattle DNA, which gives them their distinctive snowy fur. The genetic makeup makes them rare, but not as unusual as albino bison, which only occur in about one-in-10m births.
The baby was born on 16 May between 6.30 and 7.30am, Sager said. “It was up and suckling on mom within 15 minutes after it was born.” The calf is healthy, she added. It sleeps, nurses mom and often runs in circles, which park staff affectionately call the “zoomies”.
It is too early for staff to tell its sex without getting close to the animal, which can cause the herd stress. The calf is one of the smallest in the park, weighing in at about 30lb compared to other bison born at 60lb. Sager said the animal’s small size is probably due to its mother’s age. Wyoming Hope was only two years old and not yet fully grown when she gave birth, while most bison are at least three years old when they have their first calf.
The park has seen a “huge uptick” in visitors since news of the animal’s birth spread, Sager said. Bear River usually sees about 1,000 visitors a day, but that number has grown by about 300 as people clamor to see the rare calf. The park is free and open to the public.
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Bear River staff have not yet settled on a name for the baby, Sager said, and are soliciting suggestions from the public. They are considering names including Equality, Liberty, Sparky and Pearl.