Baby Bison Goes on Display at Hamilton Zoo

22 NOVEMBER 2013

For Immediate Release

Hamilton Zoo’s new baby bison goes on display this weekend for the first time.

The month-old male calf was born on 22 October to mother Milena and his father Kaiya, two of the four adult North American bison in the zoo’s six-strong herd.

Hamilton Zoo Curator Sam Kudeweh says the new arrival has quickly put on weight since his birth, and now clocks in at about 60kg – more than twice his birth rate.

“Hamilton Zoo is the only NZ zoo to hold and display these impressive and iconic animals, we are thrilled to have a healthy young calf this summer and will continue our successful breeding program with them in the coming years,” Mrs Kudeweh says.

“The bison was hunted heavily during the 19th century, and underwent a drastic decline in population. Numbers of wild free-ranging bison have begun to increase again to around 12,000 animals, through conservation management programmes.”

The zoo’s young calf is drinking milk and eating grass at the moment, and at around seven months old, he will be weaned.

Mrs Kudeweh says the bison are confident animals, and the young calf has taken a playful interest in the African water buck in the neighbouring savannah exhibit.

A naming competition for the new calf will be launched next week.

ENDS

© Scoop Media