Meet 'Sparky': The Bison Who Survived A Lightning Strike

Sparky, pictured above, is a bison at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge in Iowa.

But he’s not a normal bison. Some time in 2013, experts believe, he was struck by lightning.

(It’s still not as rare as Sparky winning this weekend’s record Powerball jackpot.)

Wildlife Biologist Karen Viste-Sparkman spotted the bison in July 2013 when she noticed him standing all by himself, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services. Upon further inspection, Viste-Sparkman noticed he was missing most of his hair, appeared to have burn marks and had a lump on his hind leg.

She believes Sparky — named after his traumatic injury — was lying down at the time of the strike.

Since lightning strikes occur in the wild, experts kept a careful eye on Sparky but decided to let nature take its course to observe what would happen to him.

He was thin after the strike and not expected to live long, but Sparky has proved to be a resilient bison.

He fathered three children before the strike and testing will determine if he has produced off spring since then.

You can spot Sparky if you ever visit the reserve.

“He tends to spend his time just like other bulls - hanging out in small groups or enjoying some quiet time alone,” the service said.

• Read more about Sparky here.