Rhug Bison

Rhug Bison came from a large herd of North American Bison in southern Ireland just North of Dublin. We now have a small herd at Rhug of four cows that are due to calve again in the spring. These cows all have calves at foot from last year and they run with a bull who we have nick named Rambo. They have now become an important part of life at Rhug.

The Bison have been resident in Europe for many more years than cattle and although the term is now used “Europeon Bison” they are the same as the American Bison.

The American Bison (Bison bison) is a bovine mammal, the largest terrestrial mammal in North America and one of the largest wild cattle in the world. With their huge bulk, Wood Bison –which are the largest subspecies in North America – are only surpassed in size by the massive Asian gaur and wild water buffalo, both of which are found mainly in India.

The Bison is also commonly known as the American Buffalo, although it is only distantly related to either the Water Buffalo or African Buffalo.

Bison have a shaggy, dark brown winter coat, and a lighter weight, lighter brown summer coat. Bison can reach up to 2 meters (6½ ft) tall, 3 meters (10 ft) long and weigh 450 to 900 kilograms (900 to 2,000 lb). The biggest specimens on record have weighed as much as 1140 kg (2,500 lb). The heads and forequarters are massive, and both sexes have short, curved horns, which they use in fighting for status within the herd and for defense. Bison mate in August and September; a single reddish-brown calf is born the following spring, and it nurses for a year. Bison are mature at three years of age, and have a life expectancy of 18 to 22 years in the wild and 35 to 40 years in captivity.

One very rare condition results in the white buffalo, where the calf turns entirely white. It is not to be confused with albino, since white bison still possess pigment in the skin, hair, and eyes. White bison are considered sacred by many Native Americans.

Due to its size and the protection afforded by living in a herd, the bison have few enemies besides humans. Grizzly bears and packs of wolves may attempt to attack a young calf or subadult, but only in the dead of winter when the herd cannot expend the energy to protect stragglers. A wolf pack can also take down an adult bison, but it typically takes at least 7 wolves to do so,and even then the wolves usually lose. The only threat, other than hunting by humans, that leads to the depletion of wild bison is interbreeding with domestic bovines. In fact, only a small number of bison herds found in North America today are pure breed bison.

The American Bison (Bison bison) is a bovine mammal, the largest terrestrial mammal in North America, and one of the largest wild cattle in the world. With their huge bulk, Wood Bison–which are the largest subspecies in North America – are only surpassed in size by the massive Asian gaur and wild water buffalo, both of which are found mainly in India. The wisent is also larger than american bison. The bison inhabited the Great Plains of the United States and Canada in massive herds, ranging from the Great Slave Lake in Canada's far north to  Mexico in the south, and from eastern Oregon almost to the Atlantic Ocean, taking its subspecies into account. Its two subspecies are the Plains Bison (Bison bison bison), distinguished by its smaller size and more rounded hump, and the Wood Bison (Bison bison athabascae), distinguished by its larger size and taller square hump.

 Reproductive habits and sexual behavior

Their mating habits are polygamous: dominant bulls maintain a small harem of females for mating. Individual bulls "tend" females until allowed to mate, following them around and chasing away rival males.

Homosexual behavior— including courtship and mounting between bulls—is common among bison. The Mandan nation Okipa festival concludes with a ceremonial enactment of this behavior, to "ensure the return of the buffalo in the coming season." Inter-sexual bison also occur. The Lakota refer to them as pte winkte —pte meaning bison and winkte designating two-spirit— thereby drawing an explicit parallel between transgender in animals and people.

Juveniles are lighter in color than mature bison for the first three months of their life. The mating season is in middle to late summer, as late as September in northern ranges. Gestation is 285 days in length, and so the calves are typically born in the spring.