TORONTO, July 24, 2025 — It’s National Bison Month and your Toronto Zoo just announced the recent birth of a healthy female wood bison calf in the Canadian Domain!
This welcome news is the result of a single artificial insemination conducted in October of 2024 using sex-sorted (x-bearing) sperm from Canada’s Wildlife Cryobank, located at your Toronto Zoo.
Why is this important?
Your Toronto Zoo has been involved in wood bison conservation since 1977, partnering first with the University of Saskatchewan and Parks Canada in 2007 to undertake this reproductive research initiative. Historically, wood bison could be found across the boreal forests of northwestern Canada and Alaska; however, changes in habitat use have resulted in small, disconnected herds remaining in northern British Columbia and Alberta as well as southern Northwest Territories and Yukon. Although wood bison have been downlisted from “endangered” to “threatened” since 1988, on-going diseases, such as tuberculosis and brucellosis, in wild wood bison populations continue to threaten this species.
Pictured: Controlled environment where embryos are prepared and analyzed before being transferred into a bison.
Reproductive technologies, such as artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization, are important tools for improving the genetic management and connectivity of small populations. These techniques will help us overcome the challenges of managing the endemic disease threatening free-ranging wood bison herds, and ultimately allow us to restore genetically diverse disease-free herds in the wild. We continue to be home to one of a few reproductive physiology labs in North America that participate in biobanking wildlife species. This is the process of freezing living cells such as sperm and embryos, for the purpose of preserving genetic diversity for the future. Once frozen, these living cells are then held in Canada’s Wildlife Cryobank at your Toronto Zoo.
Community support is critical to this work. By donating to our partner, the Toronto Zoo Wildlife Conservancy, you can help to expand our biobanking, advance reproductive technologies, and secure a healthy future for wood bison and other at-risk wildlife. By making a gift today you are helping to protect biodiversity for generations to come.
How is the little calf doing?
Born in the late evening hours on June 30th, this new calf represents a significant milestone for our continued conservation efforts with this iconic North American species. The calf is growing fast and is strong, alert, and bonding well with its mother – all important signs of successful rearing in human care.
Following the birth, our team has observed the calf’s front left leg being angled outwards at the carpus (wrist). This is not an uncommon occurrence in large animals like the wood bison and tends to self-correct with time. As the calf has shown no signs of discomfort, lameness, difficulty walking, or any other abnormalities, our Wildlife Health and Science team is confident that in time its muscles/tendons will strengthen and no intervention will be needed.
Be sure to visit the herd in the Canadian Domain and catch a glimpse of the newest bison calf – an incredible reminder of how your Zoo is playing a critical role as a Guardian of Wild for wood bison and continuing with our commitment in our new Guardians of Wild Strategic Plan to being Nature’s Insurance Policy.
About Toronto Zoo
The Toronto Zoo’s mission is to connect people, animals, conservation science and traditional knowledge to fight extinction and our vision is a world where people, wildlife and wild spaces thrive.
An iconic tourist attraction and Conservation organization, the Toronto Zoo boasts a number of leading programs for helping wildlife and their natural habitats – from species reintroduction to reproductive research. A world-class educational centre for people of all ages, the Toronto Zoo is open every day including December 25 and attracts approximately 1.3 million guests each year.
Toronto Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The Zoo has also achieved the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) Certificate of Good Animal Practice® and is inspected by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA).
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