Yellowstone National Park in the United States has discovered a rare white bison calf that was just born. Native Americans consider white bison calves to be sacred and see this discovery as an auspicious sign.
Despite photographers capturing rare photos and videos of the white bison calf, no one has seen it since. Crowds flocked to the park in hopes of catching a glimpse, but the calf remained elusive.
On June 4th, photographer Erin Braaten and her family stood at the cliff’s edge overlooking Lamar River in Kalispell, Montana. Below them, hundreds of bison roamed, with brown calves playing by their mothers and hefty bulls rolling in the mud.
Suddenly, Erin’s husband, TJ Ammond, using binoculars, spotted a white calf among the massive herd.
He couldn’t help but exclaim, “I see a white one!”
“Or maybe not – that’s a pronghorn,” he quickly corrected himself. “It’s white and tiny.”
Subsequently, Erin captured several shots of the petite, awkward white bison calf snuggled up next to its mother with a telephoto lens. It was evident that it had just been born on the banks of the Lamar River, in a process lasting over half an hour.
Many Native Americans regard white bison calves as sacred beings, considering the Yellowstone birth news as a positive omen.
The Lamar Valley is a prime spot for wildlife viewing in Yellowstone National Park, attracting crowds of tourists with binoculars and photographers with telephoto lenses. However, very few have seen this white bison calf, and no further sightings have been reported. Even when the Braaten family returned two days later for another look, the calf was nowhere to be found.
Just like in the legends, this white bison calf remains a mystery.
According to the Associated Press report, spiritual leader Chief Arvol Looking Horse of the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota Sioux tribes in South Dakota stated that this event holds significant meaning for Native Americans.
“In fact, we all know that it was born, and to us, it’s like a miracle,” said Looking Horse.
Members of American Indian tribes claim that the birth of this white bison calf fulfills a prophecy of the Lakota people.
As per the Lakota legend, about 2000 years ago when bison were disappearing and food was scarce, a goddess appeared. She gifted a sacred pipe and a bundle to a tribal member and taught the Lakota people how to pray.
She stated that the pipe would bring the buffalo back to their area to graze.
As she departed, she transformed into a white bison calf.
Looking Horse mentioned that according to the legend, the goddess told the Lakota people, “Someday, when life becomes difficult again, I will return to the earth as a white bison calf with black nose, black eyes, and black hooves.”
Their tribe referred to her as the White Buffalo Calf Woman. Looking Horse is the 19th caretaker of the pipe and bundle left by the goddess, hence he likened the birth and appearance of this black-nosed, black-eyed, and black-hoofed white bison calf to the second coming of Jesus.
Looking Horse expressed that this signifies the arrival of a better era. They plan to hold a ceremony in the coming weeks to commemorate this event.
Usually, white bison calves appear as part of cattle herds on ranches, resulting from crossbreeding. They are extremely rare and occasionally make local headlines. Most are related to leucism, a genetic variation causing abnormally light-colored calves.
However, this Yellowstone calf is different; it has black nose, black eyes, and black hooves – not leucistic.
Nevertheless, wild white bison are incredibly rare – virtually unheard of in Yellowstone National Park. The park is one of the last sanctuaries for American bison, with a population of approximately 5,000.