Tallgrass Prairie Announces 1st Baby Bison Of 2021

The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve has welcomed the first baby bison of 2021!

Officials announced the baby bison's birth on the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve's Facebook page.

“This bundle of joy arrived a bit earlier than normal,” said Bob Hamilton, Tallgrass Prairie Preserve Director. “Typically, bison calves arrive around Easter weekend. Doing the math, that means this calf’s mom was bred in June. Bison have a 9.5-month gestation period. We suspect that its early arrival is due to good forage conditions last summer, which may have triggered early breeding. Additionally, minus the February cold spell, it was a pretty mild winter, so that may be a factor in its early arrival as well. Either way, we look forward to this exciting day each year!”

In the spring of 2020, 597 calves were born on the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in Osage County.