Two baby bison find new home at BC Wildlife Park
Jun 15, 2023 | 5:20 PM
Aaron Schulze
KAMLOOPS – Bruno and Belle are the newest members of the BC Wildlife Park family. The pair of bison came to the park as calves from the Big Valley Bison Ranch south of Kamloops and are adjusting well to their new homes.
“So far, great. When we first got them they were quite small – well, they are still quite small, even though they are fairly large to our standards,” BC Wildlife Park Animal Care Manager, Tracy Reynolds told CFJC News. “And they had never really been off the ranch so there was a lot for them to learn and adjust to here, partly just being in proximity to humans.”
The BC Wildlife Park had been looking to add to their bison herd for a while but had to wait for the right time.
“We have one older female here. Her name is P.T. We used to have her mother [named] Mama, who was 27 [years old] when she passed, just last year,” Reynolds explained. “Now we have just P.T. on her own and we wanted to have two new bison, partly for companions for her and also so that we can continue to have bison at the park.”
Belle and Bruno have yet to meet P.T., but according to Reynolds, the calves won’t be transferred to the main bison enclosure until some time next year.
“They are still quite small. We want to work on that training and reinforce that and because they are so small and she is quite big, we will wait until they are a little bigger before they go in with her,” she said.
Wild bison have become threatened due to hunting and habitat loss. That’s why Reynolds believes having bison at the park is so important.
“They were a very important part of the prairies ecosystem — and still are – but very rare now,” Reynolds said. “There are only a few places they are found in the wild. Most bison are found these days in ranches like where these two came from.”
Eventually, the park intends to have the pair breed to keep its bison enclosure full for years to come.
Visitors to the park can view Belle and Bruno at the seasonal habitat across from the playground until they move in with P.T.
