High Park Zoo welcomes new bison calf - but is it a he or a she?
Calf was born Saturday afternoon during High Park's busy cherry blossom weekend
The High Park Zoo has welcomed a new addition to the family — only thing is they can't figure out whether it's a boy or a girl.
A new bison calf was born Saturday afternoon, just in time for High Park's busy cherry blossom weekend, zookeeper Sandy Foy told CBC Toronto.
"We often have a birth during that busy weekend and this calf was the one this year," she said.
The calf hasn't been named yet, because zookeepers haven't been able to get close enough to find out the gender.
"Mom is very protective and she makes sure we keep our distance. She takes good care of her baby," said Foy.
The mom's name is Victoria, who is four or five years old. And the dad is 20-year-old Jasper, one of High Park Zoo's oldest residents.
Foy said this is not Victoria's first calf at the zoo. She said the mom has given birth every summer for the last three years.
The new calf also isn't the first birth of the season for the zoo, as a lamb was born in the middle of last month's ice storm.
Foy said during most of her labour, Victoria was out in the open and people were lined up "watching and hoping" they could see the calf being born.
"It's a fabulous treat if you happen to be at High Park and you luck into a day when you get to see something being born," she said.
"That's a special day."