Science & Nature
Oh Baby, What a Surprise! Bison Calf Unexpectedly Born to New Herd in Kane County
Video: A bison calf with its mother on the Burlington Prairie in Kane County (Credit: Forest Preserve District of Kane County.)
Back in December, when six bison were released onto Burlington Prairie in Kane County, one of the newcomers was hiding a secret.
Well, the secret is out. On May 9, one of the herd’s females gave birth to a calf, the first baby bison born on tallgrass prairie in the county in 200 years, officials estimate.
“These things aren’t always planned, as you can imagine,” said Laurie Metanchuk, spokesperson for the Forest Preserve District of Kane County.
Apart from the calf, the herd’s bison — three males and three females — are all one or two years old. Bison females, known as cows, typically begin reproducing when they’re two or three years old, with a gestation period around nine months.
“We knew it was possible that they could reproduce soon, but it was more likely that they’d have young, later,” Metanchuk said. “It was an incredible surprise when one of the bison recently started showing signs that it was expecting.”
In a unique arrangement, the bison roam on land owned by Kane County forest preserves, but the Chicago-based American Indian Center owns the bison (though the center prefers the word “steward” versus “owner”). Woodstock-based Ruhter Bison is on board as the herd’s day-to-day caretaker.
For members of Chicago’s Native community, the herd represents an opportunity to reclaim pieces of tribal history and culture. The arrival of the calf has been an unexpected blessing.
“It is one thing to talk about restoring relationships with land and relatives,” Jay Young, co-executive director of the American Indian Center, said in a statement. “It is another thing to see new life come from that work.”
The center expects to begin offering bison-related programming to its community later in the summer.
Burlington Prairie in Sycamore is open to visitors daily from sunrise to sunset. According to forest preserve officials, interest in the new herd has attracted people unfamiliar with the area, and some navigation systems are sending people to the wrong address on private property. The correct location is 13N240 Engel Road.
A herd of bison have settled into their new home at Burlington Prairie in Kane County. (Courtesy Forest Preserve District of Kane County)
Contact Patty Wetli: [email protected]
