Rare white buffalo sacred to Native Americans not seen since June 4 birth, Yellowstone officials say

Ota Bluehorse wears a ceremonial headdress adorned with bison horns while attending a naming ceremony for a white buffalo calf, Wednesday, June 26, 2024, at the headquarters of the Buffalo Field Campaign in West Yellowstone, Mont. (AP Photo/Sam Wilson)

Yellowstone National Park officials said Friday a rare white buffalo sacred to Native Americans has not been seen since its birth on June 4.

The birth of the white buffalo, which fulfilled a Lakota prophecy that portends better times, was the first recorded in Yellowstone history and is a landmark event for the ecocultural recovery of bison, said park officials in confirming the birth for the first time.

It is an extraordinarily rare occurrence: A white buffalo is born in the wild once in every one million births, or even less frequently, the park said.

Whether the calf – named Wakan Gli, which means "Return Sacred" in Lakota – is still alive is unknown.

The park's statement mentioned that each spring, about one in five calves die shortly after birth due to natural hazards but officials declined to directly respond to questions about whether they believed it has died.

They confirmed the birth of the white buffalo — also called bison — after receiving photos and reports from multiple park visitors, professional wildlife watchers, commercial guides and researchers. But since June 4, park staffers have not been able to find it and officials are not aware of any other confirmed sightings in the park, one of the last sanctuaries for free-roaming American bison.

Native American leaders earlier this week held a ceremony to honour the sacred birth of the white buffalo and give the name.

The creature's birth fulfills a Lakota prophecy that portends better times, according to members of the tribe who caution that it is also a signal that more must be done to protect the earth and its animals.

Suspicion about the fate of the calf has grown as weeks have passed without another sighting since it was born in the Lamar Valley, a prime spot for wildlife viewing in Yellowstone. Young buffalo can fall victim to predators, river currents, illness and other hazards.