With the death of Becky Sunday night, Elgin’s Lords Park Zoo is down to having just one bison left in its collection.
“It was sad to hear this news,” Friends of Lords Park Zoo President Terry Gabel said. “However, when I talked with (parks superintendent) Greg Hulke Sunday night about what happened, he assured me the city intends to find two more bison for the zoo.”
Becky had been diagnosed with arthritis several years ago, Gabel said. Staff discovered Sunday that her arthritic leg had fractured, making it impossible for her to get up or or stand without assistance.
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Following a veterinary examination, it was determined that it would be more humane to euthanize the 24-year-old animal.
It was the zoo’s second loss of a bison since September, when Drew, also 24, had to be euthanized when she fell and was unable to get up on her own. Unlike Becky, however, Drew’s health had been in decline for about six months prior to her death, officials said.
Becky will be brought to a University of Illinois veterinary facility to determine if any other issues may have affected her health, officials said. The same was done with Drew after her death.
The only remaining bison is Takoda, a 7-year-old female who came from the herd kept at Fermilab in Batavia in 2016.
Zoo-kept bison can live as long as 25 years, according to the National Park Service.
Sharry Blazier, director of the Elgin Public Museum, which collaborates on a “Meet the Bison” program with the zoo, said she and visiting family members decided to drive by the pen holding Becky and Takoda shortly after the museum closed at 4 p.m. Saturday.
The two animals seemed OK at that time, Blazier said.
“Still, Becky was old for a bison and had arthritis so her death was unexpected but inevitable,” she said.
At that time, the zoo had one remaining bison, a female named Po-Key, who died shortly after the arrival of the two new animals. Po-Key, 22, also was euthanized after she became unable to stand.
Bison have been an attraction at the zoo on and off since 1909. Because they’re herd animals, it’s important for them to be in groups, Gabel said.
The hope is the city will be able to find two more to join Takoda in the near future, he said. Ideally, the animals will be staggered in age so they don’t lose two in succession as happened this year, Gabel said.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.