We’re having an elk and bison baby boom!

Five Baby Bison & Two Baby Elk Have Joined the Herd

The bison herd and elk herd at LC Nature Park are experiencing baby booms with five bison and two elk calves born since the beginning of May.

So far, the calves have been staying very close to their mothers, and they will continue to do so for a few more weeks. The youngsters will then begin to venture away from their moms for short periods to mingle with the herd. Bison calves nurse for 7 - 8 months and begin to graze on grasses and sedges after that time. Elk calves, on the other hand, are fully weaned in a couple of months. But will remain with mom until next year when a new calf is born.

At birth, the 30- to 70-pound bison calves look pretty tiny when standing next to their moms, who may weigh nearly 1,000 pounds. The calves look even smaller beside the bulls, who can weigh more than a ton. The elk calves when born weigh about 35 pounds as well and are not usually seen for several days after being born.

Baby bison are called “red dogs” due to the orange-red color of their fur. After a few months, their coat will begin to turn dark brown, and their shoulder hump and horns will begin to grow.⁠ Baby elk are fawns (just like their cousin the white-tailed deer) and are born with white spots to help with camouflage for the summer in the tall grass.

Including the five born this spring, thirteen bison calves have been born at LC Nature Park in the last three years. This brings the total number of bison at the park to 24! In that same time period, there have been eleven elk born in the Park, which brings our herd size up to eighteen.

“Seeing the bison and elk calves romp across the grasslands we are restoring is surely a sight to see,” says Dr. George Manning, Director of LC Nature Park. “Seeing these historically native species on the land is part of the reason we have worked so hard to replace former croplands with native grassland species.”

Follow LC Nature Park on Facebook or Instagram to get updates on the new arrivals.

Your support helps to keep the bison herd growing at LC Nature Park. Thanks for all you do for us!