Kansas zoo welcomes new bison calf

Emporia Zoo bison calf

EMPORIA, Kan. (KAKE) - The David Traylor Zoo of Emporia has anounced the birth of a bison calf.

The bull calf was born on Monday, April 24 to Beulah (Age 4) and Bill (Age 20) and weighs 48 pounds.

The zoo says that the baby was born in the holding area next to the bison exhibit at 3:45 p.m. They say he is strong and healthy and his mom takes good care of him. The calf can be seen daily in the exhibit just North of the Bison Exhibit where mom and baby will remain until they can be re-introduced to the bull.

"American Bison are massive and thick-coated, bison were once the icons of North America’s Great Plains – the largest land animals on the continent," the zoo said. "They were also once the most abundant, with an estimated 20 million, commonly called buffalo, roaming the Great Plains. In Kansas in 1870, bison roamed only the western half of the state, and within the next ten years, bison herds were virtually gone. The last bison in Kansas was killed in 1886. Today through management, bison have made a comeback and approximately 200,000 exist in national parks, preserves, tribal lands, zoos, and private herds."