More Buffalo Join the Herd at Shelby Farms

January 27, 2009

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Twenty-eight adult buffalo were added to the Shelby Farms herd today, thanks to a donation by Jeff and Traci Lowe of Medina, Tennessee.

"We've known for a while that we needed new buffalo. The ones we had were inbred, so we had to bring in some new blood," said Jen Andrews, communications manager for the Shelby Farms Park Conservancy.

The Lowes offered the buffalo after Shelby Farms officials contacted them to purchase used buffalo handling equipment in late 2008. With the new addition, Shelby Farms now has 45 buffalo, several of which are pregnant.

The Shelby Farms master plan calls for improvements to the buffalo range, as well the introduction of new bloodlines.

The new animals are currently separated from the old herd by a fence, allowing them to acclimate to their new home. The barrier will be removed after several weeks and the public will be invited to meet the new bison.

-- Bianca Phillips

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