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
McGill requests 'police assistance' over pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University says it has 'requested police assistance' about the pro-Palestinian encampment on its lower field.
DEVELOPING Statistics Canada says real GDP grew 0.2 per cent in February
Canada's GDP rose 0.2 per cent in February, driven by a rebound in transportation and warehousing, which saw the largest recorded month-to-month rise in over a year at 1.4 per cent.
BREAKING 4 dead, including infant, in wrong-way crash involving police on Ontario's Highway 401
A wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby, Ont. last night has left four people dead, including an infant, Ontario’s police watchdog says.
NEW Is there a cost to convenience? Canada approves new cancer immunotherapy treatment
A new cancer treatment recently approved in Canada promises to cut treatment time down to just minutes, but experts have differing opinions on whether it's what's best for patients.
Air Canada walks back new seat selection policy change after backlash
Air Canada has paused a new seat selection fee for travellers booked on the lowest fares just days after implementing it.
Canada's new dental program offering hope of free care to millions but many dentists aren't signed up
A new Canadian dental care program is offering the hope of free care to millions, but while 1.7 million people have signed up for the plan, only about 5,000 dentists have done the same.
Province boots mayor and council in small northern Ont. town out of office
An ongoing municipal strike, court battles and revolt by half of council has prompted the province to oust the mayor and council in Black River-Matheson.
Winner of US$1.3 billion Powerball jackpot is an immigrant from Laos who has cancer
One of the winners of a historic US$1.3 billion Powerball jackpot last month is an immigrant from Laos who has had cancer for eight years and had his latest chemotherapy treatment last week.
King Charles III returns to public duties with a trip to a cancer charity
King Charles III returned to public duties on Tuesday, visiting a cancer treatment charity and beginning his carefully managed comeback after the monarch's own cancer diagnosis sidelined him for three months.