Apr 24, 2020

Wanuskewin Welcomes First Baby Bison

Wanuskewin is delighted to announce the birth of a baby bison, who arrived on Earth Day. The female bison is the firstborn of the herd that Wanuskewin welcomed from the United States in December 2019, with genetic links to the famous Yellowstone herd. This marks the first bison born on their ancestral land at Wanuskewin since before the signing of Treaty Six in 1876 and the subsequent extirpation of the species.

Wanuskewin Chief Executive Officer, Darlene Brander, is quoted: “Every Earth Day, we honour our connection to the land and the many gifts of Mother Earth. This year, we are blessed by the arrival of the first baby bison. In times of great uncertainty as we have experienced with COVID-19, we are reminded that nature continues to move forward and offers us all this gift of life.”

In December 2019, Wanuskewin welcomed eleven genetically-pure Plains bison from herds originating in the United States and Grasslands National Park. This is the first baby to arrive, with more expected this Spring.

Wanuskewin Board Chair and co-Chair of the Thundering Ahead Capital Campaign, Felix Thomas stated: “Welcoming back the bison to Wanuskewin was a central pillar of the recent capital fundraising campaign. Every birth is part of the circle of life and signals progress. We look forward to watching this baby thunder across the Plains before long.”

Wanuskewin’s Elders have been delighted with the arrival of this new life; and have reminded us that the bison need privacy during this time. We kindly remind the public that Wanuskewin is closed due to COVID-19 and everyone will need to wait until Wanuskewin opens during phase four of the Re-Open Saskatchewan Strategy.