At the Northwest Trek Wildlife Park in Eatonville (Pierce County, Washington), two American bison calves were born a few days apart. The first calf, a male named Torrent, was born May 8 to his mother Rainy, and on May 13 a second calf was born to the cow Cloudy. Park officials say the sex and temperament of the second calf are not yet known because the mother is keeping him away from people.
Visitors can see the reddish calves on unsteady legs with the herd during guided tours in special vehicles or trams. Their bright orange fur and wobbling walk set them apart from the large, dark adult bison. The park, part of the Parks Tacoma system, covers 435 acres where the animals can roam freely.
The history of the American bison is dramatic: in the 19th century their population fell from 30 million to just 325 animals due to mass hunting and the targeted destruction of Indigenous peoples. Today, thanks to conservation efforts, about 20,000 wild bison live on the Great Plains, and another 420,000 are raised on ranches. The bison at Northwest Trek are purebred descendants of a herd brought from the Salish and Kootenai tribal bison preserve in Montana in the 1970s. The park now houses 20 of these majestic animals.
