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."

• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

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.