The Salisbury Zoo regretfully announces the passing of their 25-year-old male American Bison, Bubba

The Salisbury Zoo regretfully announces the passing of their 25-year-old male American Bison, Bubba, who was humanely euthanized this week.

He was born on July 12, 1993, at the Oglebay Good Zoo in Wheeling West Virginia. The Salisbury Zoo acquired the male bison at 4 months from Oglebay in October of 1993. He sired one female in 2001 which currently resides at the Salisbury Zoo. The Salisbury Zoo has been exhibiting this keystone land mammal for over 50 years and has a long history with American Bison conservation.

Within the last few months, zookeepers began to notice apparent changes in the bison’s mobility. Zookeepers addressed the symptoms with medication. But within this past month, his health declined rapidly. Staff assessed his quality of life and the decision was made to humanely euthanize him. A post-mortem exam is scheduled.

In 2016, President Obama signed the National Bison Legacy Act into law, making the American bison the national mammal of the United States. Bison were plentiful in the early 1800’s but by the late 1800’s there were only a few hundred left in the United States after unregulated shooting and habitat loss occurred during the settlement of the west. With the help of the Department of Interior, the American Bison Society, and the New York Zoological Society, the number of American Bison rose in the early 1900’s. Yellowstone National Park bison population is estimated at 4900.