Rare white bison born at Burnet ranch

BURNET, Texas ( FOX 44 ) – A Central Texas ranch has a lot to celebrate after welcoming a rare white bison calf last week.

2022 figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture found just under 200,000 American bison are found on private farms and ranches in our country. The Wagon Springs Ranch is home to one of the rarest on earth.

The ranch is nestled on a hilltop in Burnet, Texas, with a sprawling 270 acres of farm and ranch land. It’s also a popular place to get married.

However, FOX 44 News paid a visit to check out the buffalo. But not just any ol’ buffalo.

“Yeah we named the calf Unatsi. It means ‘snow’ in Cherokee,” says Carl Chambers, owner of the Wagon Springs Ranch.

This is fitting, since Unatsi is among the rarest of bison. He or she, we’re not sure yet, is pure white.

Chambers says the goal was to breed a blonde bull with a blonde buffalo heifer. It didn’t work the first few times, but then this first time momma buffalo made it happen.

“Me and my brother went to look for her, and I looked up in the brush, and I saw this big white spot. I didn’t know what it was. Finally, when I went in there and saw it I said, ‘Holy cow. This thing has some white calf!’ I couldn’t believe it,” Chambers explains.

So right about now you’re probably wondering, “How big of a deal is this?”. We called Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller to come out with us to take a look.

“This is a big deal. This is a huge event for the Indian nations. This happens about one in ten-million. We don’t even have ten-million buffalo anymore,” Miller says.

One in ten million right here in Central Texas.

“I got excited and started reading up on it, you know, and seeing how rare it is,” Miller says.

To many of the Indian nations, this rare white calf is a very important symbol.

“Lakota, Sioux, the Cheyenne, all the tribes. This is almost like a religious thing. It is a sacred event for them, except for one tribe. They think it’s evil. And that’s the Comanches,” Miller explains.

The Wagon Springs Ranch is currently home to about 30 bison, and some will be sold to various other ranches or breeders.

So even though the intrigue is traveling fast, at least for now, Unatsi isn’t going anywhere.

Also, if you happen to be looking for a place to throw a wedding – at this particular ranch, the beautiful bride won’t be the only one wearing white!

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