Baby bison new attraction at Cape Breton wildlife park
Four baby bison have been living at the Two Rivers Wildlife Park in Huntington, N.S. — along the Mira River — for about a week.
Wildlife park staff say the animals are roughly nine months old.
"So we got them from a ranch down in Inverness,” explained animal attendant Michaela Hadway. "(They are) very timid so far. They are young, and they're in a new place and they went on a long journey, so they're still kind of recovering from that. But I have a lot of faith that soon they'll discover that people have lots of good treats to give them, and they'll warm up."
To be exact, the big, bushy bovines are plains bison. As the name suggests, one of the few places in North America to find them in the wild is at Yellowstone National Park in the United States.
At Two Rivers, staff hope the bison will be a good attraction heading into the busier warmer months.
"It's always good to have something to fill the Wildlife Park a bit more, right?” Hadway said. “Add something that will put us on the map, draw in visitors."
Another staff member, Robert Lanceleve, was among those who brought the bison back from the ranch where they were bred.
Like nearly everyone, this is his first time seeing bison in person — and he can only imagine how big they'll be when fully-grown.
"Probably 1,200-1,400 pounds, so they're going to be quite large”, Lanceleve said.
The four bison haven't been named yet, but some staff members — clearly, fans of country music — have taken to calling them Dolly, Reba, Loretta and Shania.
Whether or not those names stick, they animals are already winning friends with their good nature.
"They're very timid, gentle giants and I look forward to caring for them,” Hadway said.
Hadway noted bison in captivity typically live for 20-to-25 years, so the hope is the animals will remain at Two Rivers Wildlife Park for a long time.
For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stamp prices rise for the third time in five years amid financial woes for Canada Post
Canada Post is increasing stamp prices for the third time since 2019, a move the Crown corporation says is a "reality" of its sales-based revenue structure.
BREAKING Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, claims he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers for Jeremy Skibicki have told the court the accused unlawfully caused the death of four women, but argue he is not criminally responsible due to mental disorder.
WATCH Avian flu: Risk to humans grows as outbreaks spread, warns expert
H5N1 or avian flu is decimating wildlife around the world and is now spreading among cattle in the United States, sparking concerns about 'pandemic potential' for humans. Now a health expert is urging Canada to scale up surveillance north of the border.
Human remains were found at a former Hitler base, but decay prevents determining the cause of death
Polish prosecutors have discontinued an investigation into human skeletons found at a site where German dictator Adolf Hitler and other Nazi leaders spent time during the Second World War because the advanced state of decay made it impossible to determine the cause of death, a spokesman said Monday.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
Ontario MPP asked again to leave Ontario legislature over keffiyeh, Speaker loosens ban
An Ontario MPP was asked again to leave the Ontario legislature on Monday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that was banned by the Speaker last month due to its political symbolism.
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Trump fined US$1,000 for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time
The judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial fined him US$1,000 on Monday for violating his gag order once again and sternly warned the former president that additional violations could result in jail time.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.