Rare white buffalo calf born in Yellowstone, fulfilling an old prophecy | News

Yellowstone National Park, Mt. — The reported birth of a rare white buffalo in Yellowstone National Park fulfills a Lakota prophecy that predicts better times, according to legend.

Native American tribe members warned it was also a warning that more needed to be done to protect the land and its animals.

The birth of the sacred calf comes after a harsh winter in 2023 that pushed thousands of Yellowstone bison to lower elevations, with more than 1,500 killed, sent to slaughter or transferred to tribes, the AP reported .

Erin Braaten of Kalispell photographed the calf shortly after its birth June 4 in the Lamar Valley. For the Lakota, the birth of a white buffalo with black nose, eyes and hooves is akin to the second coming of Jesus Christ, said Chief Arvol Looking Horse, the tribe’s spiritual leader, according to reports .

Lakota legend says that the appearance of the calf signals a difficult time that will be followed by better days. A similar white buffalo was born in Wisconsin in 1994.

Park officials had not yet seen the cub and could not confirm its birth. Experts say the presence of white bison is not well documented, but tribes across the United States revere them as sacred.

Success! An email was sent to with a link to confirm registration to the list.

Error! There was an error processing your request.

Receive our free newsletters

Never miss a headline with NorthcentralPa.com newsletters.

Register today!

Morning Headlines: Would you like to receive our daily morning newsletter?

Afternoon Update: What’s happening today? Here’s your update!

Daily Obituaries: Receive a daily listing straight to your email inbox.

Keep your news local

Access to independent local information is important, do you agree?

We work hard to provide timely and relevant information for free. 100% of your contribution to NorthcentralPa.com goes directly to help us cover local news and events.

Thanks for saying local news matters!

Donate today