A little more than a week before the bison was designated as America's national mammal, one of its rarest varieties came into the world in Donegal.

The male white bison calf named Liberty was born April 29 at Living Treasures Wild Animal Park. The park boasts two of the rare breed, including Liberty's mother, Buttercup. The National Bison Association has estimated that white bison occur in only one of every 10 million births.

“Just having a calf is a big deal for us, and a white calf is an even bigger deal,” park Director Thomas Guiher said.

The North American bison population today is about 500,000, counting commercial livestock operations that often crossbreed them with cattle, according to the Defenders of Wildlife conservation group. There are about 30,000 true, wild bison, the group estimates, mostly in conservation herds — an encouraging number for the animal once nearly hunted out of existence.

“Bison were almost extinct, and they're finally coming back now,” Guiher said.

For a white bison — Liberty is not an albino, a genetic condition characterized by pink skin and eyes and a complete lack of pigment — the odds of survival in the wild are not good, Guiher said.

“It's tougher to survive, both in terms of predators and in terms of the effects of the climate on them,” he said.

Liberty is 5-year-old Buttercup's first calf. The father is a traditionally colored brown bull named Big Pappi that is at the park.

“Buttercup was raised here as a bottle baby, and she met tens of thousands of people in her first year,” Guiher said. “Liberty will be with Buttercup, and people will be able to see mother and baby together.”

Visitors are able to interact with the park's bison through a fence. Guiher said that because Buttercup is so tame, Liberty will learn from his mother that same familiarity with people. Guiher said park officials are excited to showcase the white mother and calf.

“Our focus here is to be educational and to allow people to be hands-on,” he said. “People can scratch their heads, and the mom and dad will both eat out of your hands. We do everything that we can do safely, and our animals really seem to enjoy contact with people.”

Patrick Varine is a staff writer for the Tribune-Review. He can be reached at 724-850-2862 or pvarine@tribweb.com.

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