The Hays bison herd will have a special guest arriving next week – and visitors won’t have any trouble picking her out from the crowd.
Ginther Farms, located in Rexford, Kansas, will be delivering a female white bison to live with the Hays herd at Frontier Park. The bison is expected to be delivered at 10 a.m. on June 1, weather permitting.
The white bison is on loan to the City of Hays at least through the summer.
“The unique and rare white bison from Ginther Farms will be a great addition to our herd this year,” said Jeff Boyle, director of the Hays Parks Department. “Visitors from across the nation stop at Hays to see the bison herd. The bison are an attraction that the Hays community is very proud of.”
The Frontier Park bison herd began in 1952 with a bull named “Wild Bill” and a cow named “Calamity Jane.” The herd lives on approximately 9.5 acres of land and has been maintained by the Parks Department since 1977. The bison eat native grass in the pen area during much of the growing season, but are supplemented with brome grass and alfalfa throughout much of the year as well. In addition, the animals receive protein blocks and protein cubes throughout most of the year.
The current Hays herd consists of one bull and four cows. Bison calves from the herd are sold each year to the highest bidder, with revenue from the sale of the calves going into the city’s general fund.
A common mistake most people make is referring to the animals as “buffalo,” a term early settlers used due to the similarity of the bison found in North America to the Cape buffalo of Africa or the water buffalo of South Asia.
Frontier Park is located on US-183 Alternate, four miles south of I-70 and directly across from Historic Fort Hays. For more information about the bison herd, contact the Hays Parks Department at (785) 628-7375.