Meet our little surprise! This adorable bison calf was born just five days ago in the Free-Roaming Area, a delightful addition we weren’t expecting but are so thrilled to welcome! The young calf is already showing off its spirited little personality, exploring its surroundings with curiosity, while staying close to mom.

Bison are North America’s largest land mammal, with a tufted tail and long brown hair that thickens in winter. Northwest Trek has plains bison, and the other subspecies is wood bison.
After a 285-day pregnancy, female bison give birth to a single calf, which is reddish-brown and weighs between 40 and 50 pounds.

This reddish-orange bison calf will stick close to its mother for quite some time, then gradually gain more independence. And as the calf grows, its fur will turn the darker brown shade of their parents.

The American bison is the national mammal. Though they once roamed America’s Great Plains by the millions, bison were coveted for their meat and pelts, and their numbers dwindled to only about 1,000 scattered across the country by the early 1900s. Careful conservation planning by committed groups, including the American Bison Society, was used to regrow herds.

Northwest Trek’s bison herd traces its roots to Oct. 13, 1971. The bison herd was well established when the wildlife park opened its gates to visitors nearly 50 years ago, on July 17, 1975.

See the bison herd on one of our Discovery Tram tours or a premier tour like the Wild Drive or Keeper Adventure Tour.