YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. — Yellowstone National Park on Friday confirmed the birth of a white bison calf at the park but said there have been no confirmed sightings of the calf since June 4.
The birth of white bison calf in the wild is believed to occur once in every 1 million births or even less frequently, the park said. The birth of the white buffalo in the wild, which fulfilled a Lakota prophecy that portends better times, was the first recorded in Yellowstone history, according to The Associated Press.
Yellowstone confirmed the birth in the Lamar Valley, in the northeast part of the park known for its wildlife, based on multiple credible sightings. To date, park staff haven't been able to find the calf, and there have been no confirmed sightings by park visitors since the calf's birth on June 4.
Photos provided to park biologists indicate the calf is leucistic, rather than albino. That means it has black eyes and hooves with some pigmentation.
Yellowstone's bison population fluctuates between 3,000 and 6,000 animals in two herds that breed in the Lamar Valley and in the Hayden Valley. Before this year's calving season, the park had about 4,550 bison.
Each spring, about one in five bison calves die shortly after birth due to natural hazards, the park said in a news release. It's unknown whether the white bison calf is still alive.
RELATED: What could make a baby bison white?
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