'Albino' White Bison Calf in Wyoming State Park Revealed to Be Just a Pale Cattle, Says DNA Test

The white bison calf at Wyoming State Park is not an albino and is related to cattle with pale fur, according to a DNA test.

Rare White Bison Calf in Wyoming State Park

In southwest Wyoming, a rare white bison calf has been born, and locals are swarming there to try to see it.

According to the park, the young bison's light fur, which was probably caused by a very little amount of cow DNA mixed in rather than an accident like albinism or leucism, was born on May 16 at Bear River State Park.

Charolais cattle, with their light-colored fur, provided the genes that resulted in their white color.

Although the skin of Charolais is white or creamy white in tone, there is noticeable coloring. In the summer, the hair coat is typically short, but in the winter, it thickens and lengthens. But because of the breeding-up effort, which occasionally included naturally polled breeds as foundation animals, polled Charolais has become a significant element of the breed, according to Oklahoma State University.

In the 1800s, the species was almost hunted to extinction, and ranchers took care of the majority of the remaining bison. They frequently encouraged interbreeding by keeping the bison in groups with cattle.

Part Cattle

In a 2022 study that was published in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers looked at DNA samples from 25 American bison and discovered that all of them contained some domestic cow genes. Sager claims that white bison births are still rather uncommon.

The mother of the calf, a two-year-old bison named Wyoming Hope, also had white fur, thus its newborn's coat color was not entirely unexpected, according to wildlife officials. The newborn calf is the first white bison to be birthed inside the park, which is situated in Evanston, Wyoming, so they were still extremely happy about it.

Although there aren't many of these white bison, Sager argues that they are not as rare as albinos. It had a 50/50 probability of being white or brown.

Bear River State Park was created in 1991 and spans 324 acres in the far southwest of the Cowboy State, not far from the Utah border. According to the Wyoming State Park, it is home to captive herds of both bison and elk for observation and education by the general public.

One of the two adult white female bison living in the park is named Wyoming Hope. Another white calf could be arriving soon as the other might give birth by next spring, Cowboy State Daily reports.

White Buffalo Calf

According to the National Park Service (NPS), a white buffalo calf is the most revered living creature on Earth to various Native American groups, including the Sioux, Navajo, Cherokee, Lakota, and Dakota. The birth of one of these uncommon pale animals is a portent of good things to come.

One of the Lakota people's holy tales, White Buffalo Calf Woman or Ptesan Wi, prominently features a white buffalo calf, according to the NPS.