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A rare white bison that was one of the most beloved residents at Winnipeg’s Assiniboine Park Zoo for about two decades was honoured by Indigenous community leaders and others at a ceremony on Wednesday.
Blizzard the bison, who came to the zoo during a snowstorm in 2006 as an anonymous gift from an American rancher, died last week after a procedure to address his declining health, the zoo previously said. He was 21 years old.
Coleen Rajotte, a Cree community leader and advocate, said white bison (sometimes referred to as buffalo) are sacred to Indigenous cultures.
“He was a beautiful, sacred being and we’re going to miss him,” she said.
Blizzard came to Winnipeg’s Assiniboine Park Zoo during a snowstorm in 2006 and had been a beloved resident ever since. He died at age 21 last week. (Submitted by Assiniboine Park Conservancy)
Rajotte would visit the zoo to see Blizzard, developing a special connection with him over the years. When she once offered him tobacco and called out his name, Blizzard walked up to the fence where she was standing and made eye contact with her, she said.
When Rajotte heard the bison had died, her eyes welled up with tears and she felt “inordinately sad,” she said.
“I wanted to make sure, as a community, that we were able to honour him, do ceremony and send him home to all of his relatives in a proper way.”
Wednesday’s event included a pipe ceremony, drumming and singing. Indigenous leaders also shared knowledge and teachings about the cultural and spiritual importance of the rare animal.
Indigenous leaders held a ceremony honouring Blizzard’s life at Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg on Wednesday. (Submitted by Assiniboine Park Conservancy)
Jace Pratt, a community leader from Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, told people attending the ceremony about the legend of the White Buffalo Calf Woman, who once taught people how to pray and live in harmony with the earth, land and each other.
Karl Stone, a community leader from Dakota Tipi First Nation who led the pipe ceremony, said White Buffalo Calf Woman introduced the sacred pipe to people. The white bison holds special importance within Dakota communities, sharing the message of caring for the Earth and fostering healing, he said.
Stone said Wednesday’s ceremony was powerful and will help people grieve Blizzard.
Rajotte said she was emotional during the ceremony, but she also felt a sense of peace after hearing leaders talk about Blizzard running free across the prairie.
“Now I know he’s back with his relatives, and I feel so much better about that,” she said.
“I’m sure he’s smiling down on everybody today.”
Coleen Rajotte visited Blizzard over the years and said she felt a special connection with the white bison. (Travis Golby/CBC)
Chris Enright, senior director of zoological operations at the Assiniboine Park Conservancy, said the ceremony was a “really moving way to say goodbye” to a rare animal that served as an ambassador for his kind.
“He was a great ambassador. He was very charismatic,” said Enright, adding that Blizzard was often very aware and keenly interested in what zoo visitors — including those in the parking lot — were doing.
“He was really just an animal that helped build connections to the natural world, and he’ll be missed for that.”
As the zoo said goodbye to Blizzard on Wednesday, it announced the birth of a red panda cub.
The still unnamed male cub was born on June 8 and will continue nursing as he spends the first several months of his life in a nest under the care of his mother, Mei Mei, the zoo said.
Visitors won’t be able to see the red panda cub just yet, the zoo said. He is expected to make his first public appearance later this summer.