Rare White Bison Calf Born At Iowa Wildlife Refuge
Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge is welcoming the arrival of a rare white bison calf. First observed by staff on April 30, the calf is now roaming the prairie alongside the refuge’s other spring newborns.
Unlike most newborn bison, which are born with reddish-brown fur, this calf appeared with a pale whitish coat rarely seen in the species. According to updates shared by the refuge, the white calf is one of nine bison calves currently frolicking around the prairie this season. The birth comes as the refuge continues its large-scale effort to restore Iowa’s tallgrass prairie ecosystem and support conservation of plains bison, a species that was driven to the brink of extinction in the 1800s after widespread slaughter and habitat loss.
“Nature never ceases to amaze! Earlier today, a whitish newborn bison calf was observed on the refuge prairie,” the refuge wrote in a Facebook post. “A rare and beautiful sight! Bison calves are usually born with reddish-brown fur, which changes to dark brown as they mature. It will be fascinating to see what color this little one develops as it grows.”
How Bison Were Driven To Near Extinction And Brought Back Through Conservation
Young bison calves are often nicknamed “red dogs” because of their rusty-orange coats. According to the refuge, calves can nurse within 10 to 30 minutes of birth and are capable of walking and running within just a few hours.
Plains bison, also commonly called buffalo, once numbered in the tens of millions and roamed North America in massive nomadic herds. Many Indigenous cultures, particularly across the Great Plains, developed strong cultural ties with bison over thousands of years.
By the 1800s, however, bison populations collapsed as westward expansion accelerated across the U.S. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the species was systematically slaughtered during the 19th century, pushing it to the brink of extinction. By 1889, only a few hundred wild plains bison remained in parts of the western U.S.
Conservation herds established in the early 20th century helped rebuild populations. Today, there are approximately 20,500 plains bison in conservation herds and another 420,000 in commercial herds, according to the USFWS.
Read More: Humans Abandoned a Bison-Hunting Site Around 1,100 Years Ago — Turns Out, Climate Change Was to Blame
Restoring Iowa’s Prairie Ecosystem
The white calf was born within one of the Midwest’s largest prairie restoration projects. Since 1992, the USFWS has been restoring former cropland at Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge to native tallgrass prairie and oak savanna habitats.
Today, refuge staff manage roughly 5,600 acres of restored prairie and savanna using methods such as planting native prairie seeds, prescribed fire, invasive species removal, and reintroducing grazing animals like bison and elk.
For thousands of years, tallgrass prairie covered much of the Midwest before European settlement transformed the landscape through farming and wetland drainage. Prairie restoration efforts at the refuge are designed to rebuild wildlife habitat, improve biodiversity, support pollinators and grassland birds, and increase carbon storage through native plant systems.
Bison remain a major part of that restoration effort. The refuge manages a herd within an 800-acre enclosure, where the animals help shape the prairie ecosystem through grazing, seed dispersal, rubbing, and wallowing. Grazing also helps prevent grasses from overtaking wildflowers, allowing a wider variety of prairie plants to thrive.
The refuge notes that bison are especially attracted to recently burned prairie, where fresh green shoots provide a nutrient-rich food source.
Now, among the refuge’s newest calves, one unusually pale newborn is standing out across a landscape built to restore part of North America’s ecological history.
Read More: What the Loss of Pure Bison Means for Conservation
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