Sparky, Bison That Survived Lightning Strike, Sparking With A Girlfriend

PRAIRIE CITY, IA — If you’ve been worried about Sparky, a bison that earned his name after surviving a lightning strike in 2013, don’t fret. He’s not only doing well, he’s sparking with a new girlfriend — and biologists at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge near Prairie City, Iowa, are optimistic the pair will produce a baby bison.

Called “the world’s toughest bison” by the folks at the sprawling 5,600-acre restored tall-grass prairie that is managed by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sparky lagged behind the rest of the herd when he was spotted in July 2013 by biologist Karen Viste-Sparkman. He was missing most of his hair, appeared to have burn marks and had a lump on one of his hind legs.

The situation looked grim for the bull. He was roughed up plenty in his tangle with nature and so thin the refuge staff feared he wouldn’t live long. He had a limp and moved more slowly than the other bison in the herd, a number that fluctuates between 70 and 90 head. The staff decided to let nature take its course.

But Sparky proved to be resilient, and his amazing story of survival made headlines on Patch and many other news sites around the world. (Sign up for real-time news alerts and free morning newsletters from your local Iowa Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

“Sparky spent most of his time hanging out near the family group, but not really with them,” FSW said in news release Monday. “All of that changed this summer when he seemed to have attracted a girlfriend! She stays back with him and they move together, slowly.”

Sparky and his new gal pal are inseparable, the release said.

Sparky fathered three calves before he was scorched by the lightning bolt, but annual genetic testing has shown that he has not fathered any children since the strike. But with a new companion, “there may still be hope,” according to the release.

You can watch Sparky and others in the herd below.

The staff at the refuge round up the bison each fall to assess their health, collect hair from calves for genetic testing and insert a microchip in the calves. The herd is managed for genetic diversity, and some yearlings and 2-year-olds are typically removed each year and placed elsewhere in the FWS system.

The Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, which is located near Des Moines, is named for a former longtime Iowa congressman who championed its creation.

Photo by Melissa Clark/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service