State Park’s herd bull bison dies at 12

EVANSTON (WNE) — Titan, the elder bull in the bison herd at Bear River State Park in Evanston, died on Friday, April 12, at the age of 12.

“He was born in 2012, we got him at a year old and he became our herd bull in 2016,” said Tyfani Sager, superintendent of the park.

Titan was purchased in 2013 from Lyman stock breeder Rex Snyder.

Sager explained that Titan’s name was fitting as he was a rather large bull, weighing in at over 2,000 pounds and standing over six feet tall.

Sager said that Titan died unexpectedly, and she called a vet when his body was discovered.

“The vet speculated that he died from kidney disease,” she said. “He is young and it’s not super common, but he showed no prior signs of illness. He was up that morning.”

Sager said bison can live up to 30 years old, but the average lifespan is early 20s.

The park’s herd now sits at nine, with eight expectant cows and one bull, four-year-old Bam Bam.

Titan will likely be buried at the park. He replaced herd bull King, who died at the age of 21 in 2017. King is stuffed and on display at the park’s visitor center.

This story was published on April 17, 2024.