Pasture gains two new buffalo

Visitors to the buffalo pasture in Hot Springs State Park might notice a couple smaller additions these past few weeks, as two of the cows have calved.

Assistant Superintendent John Fish said buffalo breed in private and calve in private, so seeing a live birth, while not impossible, would certainly be very rare; in 24 years, he has never seen one.

The goal is for every cow to have a calf, Fish said, to provide a good calf crop. Currently, there are a dozen animals in the herd, with two adult cows and a lot of young stock. They're some coming three-year-olds that will be bred, Fish said, and a couple bull calves that will be carried over for sale.

Fish sends out a bidders list to prospective buyers, typically those who have bought calves in the past. As for determining price, he looks online at big sales across the U.S. and Canada and uses the average selling price a the minimum bid, ensuring at fair market value is paid for the animals. Information on the bidders list includes the animals' age, sex and where they are from.

Calves aren't the only animals sold, as cows are given two years to calf and those who don't produce are up for sale. Nuisance animals are also put out for bids.

Along with the new additions to the pasture, it was recently a birthday for Felina. The one-year-old, named by Superintendent Kevin Skates in reference to the Marty Robbins song "El Paso," had a dry mother and so she was bottle-fed. Fish noted if Felina is kept she will have to be transported to another herd - either T Hill, or Bear River State Park in Evanston - to keep her away from her biological father. He further added they try to keep the gene pool as clean as possible.

Fish said the animals should be big, dark in color and also have a straight back.

Though exceptions like Felina are comfortable around people, Fish cautions buffalo are still considered wild animals and it's best to view them at a distance. Hikers along trails are cautioned against approaching the buffalo. They aren't like domesticated animals, Fish said. They go where they want, and if anyone gets in their way they're going to get hurt.