First Bath

An intimate and tender portrait of a bison gazing upon her 90-second old calf.   A professional wildlife photographer, instructor and guide, Cindy Goeddel , captured this image this past Spring in Yellowstone's Lamar Valley while leading a photography workshop.  Cindy noticed two small hooves protruding from a bison cow and stopped to witness her first bison birth.  We watched and photographed from the opposite side of the road at about 50 yards away to ensure we did not disturb her.  Everyone was very respectful and we all cheered when the calf was born.  Within 20 minutes, the calf was standing, finding the teat took him an additional 25 minutes.  By he time he was an hour old he was quite steady on his feet.  An amazing and unforgettable experience.  Yellowstone is home to more than 4,500 genetically pure wild bison and is the only place in the US where bison have lived continuously since prehistoric times.