FRENCH CREEK, W.Va. — Everywhere you look in West Virginia today you’ll see the signs of spring. New life is springing forth in the forest and in the fields, in the flora and in the fauna. It’s no different at the West Virginia Wildlife Center at French Creek where most of West Virginia’s native wildlife is on display for people to see up close.
Earlier this month, one of the most attractive exhibits gave birth when a new bison calf arrived May 2. The animals were first brought there for display in 1954 according to a news release from the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources.
“A bison calf can walk almost immediately after birth, albeit a bit wobbly,” said Rob Sylvester, wildlife biologist for the Wildlife Center. “It will begin to nurse within minutes as well. The calf will nurse for 4-6 months before beginning to nibble on grass and grain.”
Bison were once abundant throughout West Virginia and all of North American, but the westward expansion drove up the need for food and the species was almost eliminated from the wildlife landscape. Today they are most abundant in the western United States in a wild population.
Sylvester encouraged people to take advantage of the opportunity to check out the bison calf and all of the young critters on display this spring at the Wildlife Center.
“This is a rare opportunity for the public to see a bison calf because they aren’t born in captivity very often. If you want to see one in the wild you’d have to go out west,” Sylvester said. “This is a big event for the Wildlife Center and we hope people will visit us over the spring and summer to help us celebrate.”