The Name “Bogo” (Buy One Get One) is Top Vote Getter
Como Zoo turned over the naming rights of its baby bison to its 29,000+ Facebook fans. Como Park Zoo & Conservatory’s volunteers submitted names, zoo staff picked four finalists, and the Facebook fans voted for their favorites. With 56% of the votes cast, “Bogo” was chosen. Bogo (short for “buy one, get one”) was chosen as a humorous comment on the baby bison’s surprise arrival; it was unknown that the bison’s mother, “Aunt Bea”, was pregnant when she came to the zoo last November. The other names fans had opportunity to vote on were Opie (21%), Thundar (13%), & Bruno (10%).
Bogo was born on June 16th at 11:10am as many surprised guests and staff looked on. He was standing and walking within an hour of birth. He weighed 125 lbs and stood three feet tall at birth. Bogo is the first calf born to two year old mom, Aunt Bea. Como’s current herd consists of Aunt Bea, Bogo and one other adult female.
Bison Calf Born at the Zoo
June 16, 2011 – The American Bison area is an exciting place today at the zoo. Around 11 am, one of the bison (named Aunt Bea) gave birth to a calf. The baby was up and walking within an hour of being born and is nursing well already. Mom cleaned up the calf and also seems to be doing well.
Keepers noticed earlier this morning that two year old Aunt Bea was agitated. She was making some unusual noises and keeping her tail in the air. Labor continued for about an hour, holding the attention of hundreds of kids on what turned out to be a very interesting field trip! Seeing the birth and first steps of the calf was definitely a learning experience for many visitors to the zoo today.
The calf is somewhat unique in that it is believed to be melanistic. This means it was born with a black coat. Most American Bison are a cinnamon or reddish color at birth and their coats darken with age. Other than its color, the baby seems to be normal and healthy. The sex and name of the calf have yet to be determined.
The mother bison, Aunt Bea, came to the Como Zoo on November 17th of last year and was pregnant before her arrival. The gestation period for bison is about 270-300 days, not far from that of humans. The other American Bison at the zoo, another female, was unbothered by all the excitement in the exhibit today.
