2 more bison expected to come to Elgin's Lords Park Zoo

A revamping of the bison area and the addition of two more bison at Lords Park Zoo are in the works in Elgin.

The city is planning to spend nearly $200,000 to install a bison chute, build fencing, build a new shelter and eliminate a muddy patch within the bison area, Elgin senior management analyst Laura Valdez-Wilson told the city council Wednesday night.

The money for zoo improvements was budgeted in the city's 2016 Riverboat fund.

The volunteer group Friends of Lords Park Zoo is planning to spend $2,500 to buy and bring in two more bison, President Terry Gabel said. The group also is willing to contribute up to half the cost of the estimated $25,000 or so bison chute, he said.

"We are very gratified and very happy to continue the successful partnership that we have had with the city," Gabel said. The group numbers up to 75 active volunteers and relies on fundraising.

The zoo has two bison, Becky and Drew, both about 16 years old. A third bison died in March 2013.

Bison begin to suffer health problems such as arthritis around age 20, when it often becomes kinder to put them down, Gabel said. "We don't want to replace them all at once. We want to stagger them in."

The overall project is designed to keep the bison and the staff safer during veterinarian treatments, which require the animals to be tranquilized by a specialized bison vet that comes to Elgin from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Valdez-Wilson said.

As herd animals, both bison must be tranquilized whenever one is treated, she said.

"This is quite a process," she said. "It costs money, there is surgery involved to remove the (tranquilizer) darts."

Once the chute is built, the local veterinarian will be able to administer treatments without tranquilizers, she said. The $75,000 fencing will allow the bison to be separated when one is getting treated. "It's better for the safety of staff and animals," she said.

The project also includes building a $50,000 enclosure for deer, now housed with the bison, Valdez-Wilson said.

Finally, a muddy area - which can pose health hazards to the animals' hoofs - will be graded and eliminated.

The goal is to be done by October, so the Friends can bid on bison sold by Fermilab, she said.