Rare white bison calf born in Burnet
A rare white bison calf named Untsi (Oon-chee) was born at Wagon Springs Ranch in Burnet on April 22. He is pictured with his mother in the same pasture in which she was born. Staff photo by Nathan Bush
A rare white bison calf was born late April 22 at Wagon Springs Ranch in Burnet.
“I’ve been told it’s a one-in-10 million chance,” said ranch owner Carl Chambers.
Chambers named the calf Untsi (pronounced Oon-chee) as an homage to his Native American heritage.
“It means snow in Cherokee,” said Chambers, who holds dual U.S. and Cherokee Nation tribe citizenship.
Untsi’s birth follows three years of concerted efforts by Chambers and his ranch staff to breed a white bison.
“We started with two (bison),” he said. “Now, we have about 30. We want to get to about 40, and we’ll be good.”
They found the right combination after breeding Untsi’s blonde mother with a blonde bull named Blanco.
“The end goal is to have quite a few white ones,” Chambers said. “I just don’t want an all-white herd because it can be hard to keep the genetics clear.”
The newborn bison was settled next to his mother in a pasture far away from the rest of the herd when this reporter caught a glimpse of nature’s miracle.
“This is the same pasture that (Untsi’s mother) was born in,” Chambers said. “I wonder if that’s why she decided to calve here.”
Untsi is his mother’s first calf, which means Chambers will have his hands full over the next few months.
“I’ll probably have to check if she’s nursing right,” he said.
It will take about five years for Untsi to grow to adult height and an another five years before he reaches full maturity.
“Bison in other areas get a lot bigger than what we have in Texas,” Chambers explained.
Chambers gave up breeding cattle a few years ago to pursue a lifelong dream of raising bison.
“I’ve always been fascinated by them,” he said. “They’re really remarkable.”
He noted how efficient the animals are compared to other livestock, including cattle.
“I guess that’s what thousands of years on the plains will get you,” said Chambers, referring to when wild bison herds roamed North America.
Chambers also spoke about the bison’s local history and how numbers in the wild have dropped to around 31,000 worldwide in recent years.
“I’ve heard stories that Burnet used to have bison herds that would stretch almost 90 miles long,” he said. “I would have loved to see that.”
Wagon Springs Ranch processes and trades its bison stock year-round.
“We got into it because we love it,” Chambers said.
However, Untsi has earned a lifetime stay at the ranch at just one day old.
“He’ll stay here forever,” Chambers said with a grin.
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This article is so misleading. This is not a true bison. It was bred with a Charolais beef cattle to get the cream color in the genetics. This is NOT a celebrated nor spiritual “white bison”. It’s an imposter. Please update your article.