An unusual animal encounter of a baby white bison recently astounded visitors to Yellowstone National Park.
In addition to being exceedingly uncommon—only one in ten million white bisons are born—white bisons are also revered by the Lakota people, who saw their appearance as both a blessing and a warning.
There are many magnificent animals in Yellowstone, but during this month, tourists saw one that was both quite rare and wonderfully amazing.
On June 4, while visiting the park with her family, photographer Erin Braaten saw “something really white” in the Lamar Valley, according to AP.
The tiny white object proved to be a baby white bison, an incredibly uncommon species that only occurs once per ten million buffalo births. Seeing a white bison at such a young age is even more uncommon: Braaten claimed to have missed the birth “by a few minutes.”
The uncommon occurrence, she claimed, “totally floored” them; they watched the calf and mother for thirty to forty-five minutes, but on their return flights, they never saw the calf again.
One white bison was born in Wisconsin in 1994, and another was born in Bear River State Park in Evanston, Wyoming, last year.
In addition to being incredibly rare, the birth of this white bison is noteworthy because many Native American tribes view the animal as a sacred emblem.
The Lakota people place great importance on the animal because they view the “White Buffalo Calf Woman” as a prophet who is essential to their religious beliefs. According to mythology, during a period of hunger thousands of years ago, the woman appeared, gave them a sacred ceremonial pipe, and taught them the seven sacred ceremonies.
After that, she changed into a white buffalo calf and vowed to reappear in that shape when things became tough.
The National Park Service stated that “a White Buffalo Calf is the most sacred living thing on earth to American Indians.” The calf is a symbol for the start of life’s sacred cycle. In American Indian societies, a baby’s birth is considered sacred because it symbolizes hope and the impending arrival of good times.
Tribal elders saw the advent of this white bison calf as evidence that more needed to be done to protect the environment and wildlife.
This calf’s birth is both a blessing and a caution. Chief Arvol Looking Horse, the spiritual head of the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota Oyate tribes in South Dakota and custodian of the revered White Buffalo Calf Woman Pipe, told AP that “we must do more.”
What a sight! Spread the word about this fantastic discovery and let’s welcome this rare white bison to the world!
