Orphaned bison finds home at Lords Park Zoo in Elgin

An orphaned bison from Colorado has found a home at Lords Park Zoo in Elgin.

Buffy arrived at the zoo on Monday after being donated by Diamond Tail Ranch near Fort Collins, Colorado.

Rejected at birth by her mother, Buffy had to be bottle-fed by ranchers. She refused to join the herd once she was big enough.

Now a little over a year old, Buffy weighs over 600 pounds. She joins Takoda, an 8-year-old bison who has been alone at the zoo since two older bison, Drew and Becky, died last year.

Elgin Parks Superintendent Greg Hulke said people from the ranch saw the city’s social media posts about losing Drew and Becky and reached out to offer Buffy.

“So far, she seems like she’s happy,” Hulke said. “She plays. She runs around. She’s just a toddler for all intents and purposes and seems to be having a good time.”

A fence separates Buffy and Takoda for the time being until they get acclimated to each other.

Hulke said the two have been spending time together by the fence. Zoo officials will probably open the gate in about three weeks.

“We want to make sure they both feel comfortable,” he said.

The zoo opened in 1895, and the first bison arrived in 1905. Hulke said the city is looking at adding a third bison, hopefully from the same ranch.

“We’ve developed a really good relationship with them through this donation process. So we would like to continue that,” Hulke said. “They want to come out and visit Buffy at our facility because they really enjoyed her there.”