COSTA MESA : ‘She’ Bison a ‘He,’ So Name Game Extended

The truism that time reveals all certainly applies to the new offspring of Becky, a 7-year-old bison at the Orange County Fairgrounds.

When it was announced earlier this month that Becky had given birth, fair officials initially reported that the 80-pound calf was a “she.”

But now irrefutable evidence has been found that “she” is actually a “he.”

Fair officials were at a loss to explain the gender confusion, but spokeswoman Jill Lloyd suggested that “perhaps it was too dark to see” when the bison was born during the early morning hours of May 11.

The truth became readily apparent, however, when a fair employee observed the calf “relieving” itself. Jim Bailey, the fair’s livestock supervisor, was promptly notified.

After examining the calf, Bailey issued a revised announcement concerning the bison’s sex.

Becky, who arrived at the fairgrounds in February from the historic Buffalo Ranch in Irvine, was believed to be pregnant at the time--but fair officials could not be sure. Because the 1,000-pound North American bison is a wild animal, fairground workers were unable to get close enough to tell if Becky was with calf or simply overweight.

A startled security guard confirmed the pregnancy when he “saw feet coming out of the buffalo.” Becky delivered the calf, her second offspring, without help. And fair officials proudly announced that a female calf had been born.

As a result of the gender confusion, officials decided to extend the deadline until June 8 in a name-the-calf contest. So far, more than 1,000 submissions have been received.

Lloyd said one of her favorite suggestions so far is “Syracuse,” opposed to Buffalo, N.Y.

“There have been lots of ‘Buffies.’ That’s the overwhelmingly popular vote,” Lloyd said Tuesday. “And someone suggested ‘Sioux.’ I guess you could go with ‘a boy named Sioux.’ ”

The winner will receive two season passes to the fair, which is scheduled for July 8 to 24 at the Orange County Fairgrounds. The winner will also receive an autographed (presumably hoof-printed) picture from Becky and her young calf.

Contest entries can be sent to: Becky the Buffalo, Orange County Fair, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, Calif. 92626.