Earlier this year, wild bison were reintroduced to the backcountry of Banff National Park after a 140-year absence.
And now, Parks Canada has announced the first bison calves in this part of Rocky Mountains have been born. The first bison baby arrived, fittingly, on Earth Day — April 22.
Since then, two more calves have joined the herd in the Panther Valley.
“This bison calf’s first steps in Banff’s backcountry are part of a larger project to reintroduce wild bison to Canada’s first national park,” officials said.
Parks Canada made the adorable birth announcement Tuesday.
“Mother and calf doing well.”
In February, 16 bison were moved from Elk Island National Park, near Edmonton, by truck and then by helicopter to a remote area of Banff as part of multi-million dollar reintroduction project.
Plains bison were almost eradicated from the continent due to development and over-hunting. But conservation efforts have helped bring the species back from the brink of extinction.
These bison calves in Banff are now taking baby steps toward preserving a keystone species in a region they once roamed.
Dare you not to go squee.
