It’s baby bison season at Fermilab.
Two American bison were born Friday at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in west suburban Batavia — the first of about 20 bison expected to be born this spring in a 30-acre pasture at the laboratory.
In 1969, the particle physics laboratory’s first director, Robert Wilson, came up with the idea of keeping bison there, to symbolize that Fermilab was “on the frontier of particle physics research.”
There are now 26 bison — two male, 24 female — grazing at Fermilab. In the winter, they stay outside but are fed hay and grain, and are also provided with structures to block strong winds.
Fermilab has an area where visitors can see the bison up close, as well as a live bison camera to view them online. Visitors are allowed every day from dawn to dusk.
The bulls, which are male, will play, sometimes charging at each other. They weigh up to 2,000 pounds. The female bison — called cows — weigh up to 1,000 pounds and are protective of their babies, which weigh 40 to 70 pounds at birth.
Babies have a cinnamon-colored fur that deepens to a darker brown about two months later. Within six months, they can weigh about 350 pounds.
Calving season typically begins in mid-April and lasts until June. Around 20 bison are born each year at Fermilab.
Cleo Garcia, a member of Fermilab’s ground maintenance team, is head caregiver of the bison herd, monitoring physical changes and tracking how many calves are born each year.
“Calving season is the most rewarding time of the year,” Garcia said. “You see new life coming to the land.”
