September 4, 2018

In July 2018, a herd of bison that had relocated to Canada’s Banff National Park in 2017 produced its first “made in Banff” calves (as Parks Canada is touting) in some 140 years. The bison babies were the first to be conceived and born in the area since the 1870′s. Two bison calves appeared on July 15, 2018, and a third followed on July 19. Six new calves arrived in August. North American bison are commonly called American buffalo.

“Little red” bison calves stay close to their mothers at Canada’s Banff National Park in July 2018. Credit: © Parks Canada

Banff National Park, Canada’s oldest, lies on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Alberta. Known for its spectacular scenery, the park also boasts an impressive animal population that includes bighorn sheep, black bears and grizzlies, deer, elk, moose, mountain goats, and—since last year—a small herd of bison.

In February 2017, 16 bison, including 10 pregnant females, were moved to Banff’s Panther Valley from Elk Island National Park near Edmonton. Panther Valley is a remote wilderness area with wide, grassy pastures. The bison have thrived there, and the females produced 10 “made in Elk Island” babies last summer. (All the calves survived the year and are now nearly full grown.) The females then again became pregnant—in Banff, this time. The original herd of 16 expanded to 35, including nine “little red” bundles of joy. Bison calves are born with bright reddish fur; they later take on the chocolate brown color of their parents.

Bison graze in Elk Island National Park in Alberta, Canada. A bison herd from Elk Island was brought to Banff National Park in February 2017. Little red calves can be seen among the adults. Credit: © Parks Canada

Great herds of bison once roamed over North America between the Appalachian Mountains on the east and the Rockies on the west. Native Americans depended upon bison flesh for food and bison hides for clothing. In 1850, about 20 million bison still thundered over the western plains. Huge herds often forced railroad trains to stop while the animals crossed the tracks. In the late 1800′s, white hunters slaughtered millions of bison. This killing deprived the Native Americans of their main source of food and almost wiped out the bison.

By 1889, fewer than 1,000 bison could be found alive in the United States. Then efforts started to prevent the species from becoming extinct. Game laws and other protective measures allowed the surviving American bison to live and multiply. As a result, about 10,000 bison now live in national, state, and local preserves in the United States. About 3,000 bison roam on public lands in Canada. In addition, there are more than 300,000 bison on private ranches throughout the United States and Canada.

May 17, 2016

Bison in Yellowstone National Park. Credit: © Shutterstock

Last week, on May 9, U.S. President Barack Obama signed into law the National Bison Legacy Act, making the American bison, or “buffalo,” which was once nearly hunted to extinction, the official national mammal. Hunting and habitat destruction reduced the U.S. bison population from millions to just around 300 by the 1880’s. Today, thanks to legal protection, the bison population is now at 500,000. The bison, considered one of the first U.S. conservation success stories, takes its place beside the bald eagle (the national bird since 1782) as a beautiful American symbol.

The term buffalo is the common name of several kinds of large wild oxen. The name was first given to the black water buffalo of India. Most Americans call the American bison a “buffalo,” but zoologists do not consider it a true buffalo.

The American bison is brownish-black, except on the hind part of its body, which is brown. It has long, coarse hair covering its head, neck, and hump. The hair forms a beard on the throat and chin. On its head, it has a pair of horns similar to those of domestic cattle. A full-grown bull (male) measures from 10 to 12 ½ feet (3 to 3.8 meters) long and may stand 5 ½ to 6 feet (1.7 to 1.8 meters) high. The largest bulls may weigh as much as 3,000 pounds (1,400 kilograms). Cows (females) are much smaller and rarely weigh more than 900 pounds (410 kilograms).

Great herds of bison once roamed over North America between the Appalachian Mountains in the east and the Rocky Mountains in the west. Indians depended upon bison meat for food and hides for clothing. In 1850, about 20 million bison still thundered over the western plains. Huge herds often forced railroad trains to stop while the animals crossed the tracks. In the late 1800′s, white American hunters slaughtered millions of bison, depriving Indians of their main source of food and almost wiping out the bison.

Thanks to legal protection, the number of bison has been on the rise, yet the numbers are still far from the millions of bison that once roamed the United States less than 200 years ago. Many bison are living in commercial and conservation herds in more than a dozen states.

Yellowstone National Park, which lies in the western states of Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana, is the only place in the country where bison have lived continually. It is also home to the largest herd. Last week, a bison calf in Yellowstone had to be euthanized (humanely killed) after being handled by tourists. People visiting Yellowstone had spotted the calf, feared it would freeze in the cold temperatures, and transported the calf to a ranger station in their car. (In fact, the calf’s coat protects it from the cold.) By handling the animal, however, the tourists left their human smell on it, and the young animal was then rejected by its herd after it was reunited with them. It could not survive on its own. Wild animals such as bison should never be handled by people.