First bison of the year born at Fermilab

The first bouncing baby bison of the season arrived Tuesday morning at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia.

The cinnamon-colored calf is healthy, and staying close to its mother on the open grassland set aside for the bison herd, according to the laboratory. Whether it’s a boy or a girl was not disclosed.

The lab expects about 20 calves to be born this spring. That’s about the same every year, although last year there were four surprise calves born in the summer.

The laboratory has had American bison on the Batavia site since 1969. The founder of the lab, Robert Wilson, wanted to connect it with the Illinois prairie upon which it was built, to honor the history and environment of the land.

There are two bulls and 23 cows in the herd. Fermilab changes out the bulls every five to seven years, to maintain the group’s genetic health.

Calves typically weigh 40 to 70 pounds at birth. Their coat darkens as they age.

The bison live outside all year in a large corralled area. They have shelters from the wind.

The public may view the herd online via the laboratory’s bison camera, www.fnal.gov/pub/about/bisoncam. They may also visit the laboratory’s outdoor public areas from dawn to dusk. Visitors 18 and older must present a REAL ID compliant form of identification, such as a driver’s license or passport, to enter, according to the laboratory’s access and hours page.

Visitors can enter at Pine Street and Kirk Road in Batavia, or at the Batavia Road gate in Warrenville.