New bison calf at Wanuskewin is a Mother’s Day gift like no other

It’s a Mother’s Day gift like no other.

Wanuskewin Heritage Park welcomed a new baby bison on Monday, the first calf to be born at the park in 2023. The last time a calf was born at Wanuskewin was on Sept. 30, 2022, which happened to coincide with the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

The birth of this new calf brings the total size of the herd up to 29. Including the new addition, Wanuskewin has seen 18 bison born since the original 11 arrived in December of 2019.

When the park welcomed the original 11 bison, it marked the first time in 150 years that bison roamed that land. The bison had ties to Grasslands National Park and Yellowstone National Park, and this latest birth marks the continuation of growth for the herd.

Darlene Brander, CEO of Wanuskewin, said the calf is healthy and doing fine.

Brander said Wanuskewin is proud and humbled to welcome a new calf to its herd. While the calves aren’t named, she said the new calf is being described as a “bigger prairie dog” due to its fluffy orange fur.

Each bison that is born is culturally and spiritually significant, Brander said, and having the bison born so close to Mother’s Day is just an added bonus. This isn’t the first time the park has seen a bison born around Mother’s Day.

“The first year we had a baby bison born at Wanuskewin, the bison was actually born on Mother’s Day, so the bison baby births do have a tendency to trend on or near Mother’s Day,” Brander said.

Bison tend to give birth during April and May because of birth synchrony. Birth synchrony is considered to be an evolutionary adaptation where adult females will give birth during the same period, known as the birthing season.

Brander said she’s excited for what the summer season holds for Wanuskewin and its bison herd.

She said Wanuskewin is continuing to ensure that its bison continue to produce healthy and really robust babies, so the park can continue to share the important part of Indigenous culture with the world.