The Iowa Bison That Was Struck By Lightning… And Survived

It's been a long, long time since wild bison roamed the Iowa prairie. Before American settlers arrived, the mythical beast was abundant throughout the state, especially in the north-central and western regions of Iowa. By the end of the 19th century, though, bison had been all but eradicated from the Hawkeye State.

Luckily, through conservation efforts, the American Bison has slowly and gradually been making a comeback in the U.S. While there are no active wild populations of bison in Iowa, the state supports several captive herds. And in one of these herds lived a bison named... Sparky. Whose legend lives on to this very day.

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Meet Sparky, the Iowa Bison Struck By Lightning

Located around 30 minutes east of Des Moines, the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge is home to over 60 bison. The beautiful but dangerous beasts have over 6,000 acres of tall grass prairie to roam. In 2013, the bison who would soon be named "Sparky" was one of the buffalo at the refuge. He had been transferred there in 2006 from the National Bison Refuge in Montana.

In July of 2013, wildlife biologist Karen Viste-Sparkman was doing a routine check on the herd when she noticed something unusual...

During a survey in late July 2013, she noticed a bull standing by himself. When she took a closer look through her binoculars, she noticed that Sparky looked bloody. This wasn't entirely surprising because bison bulls will often fight during the mating season and July tends to be a prime time for injuries. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that Sparky had been burned over a large area. His hump was missing hair and there was a large lump on his hind leg, which must have been the exit wound, meaning Sparky was lying down at the time of the strike.

-National Parks Service Website

While there were no eyewitnesses to this tale, there can be no doubt that Sparky endured quite a shock (no pun intended) when the lightning strike occurred.

For the rest of his life, Sparky was slightly smaller in stature than the rest of his companions, but, by all accounts, he remained relatively happy and a vital part of the herd for the rest of his days. He lived out the remainder of his days at the Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge and passed away in 2018. He was 14 years old, which is under the typical lifespan for a bison held in captivity, as they can live well over 25 years in some cases.

To learn more about the history of bison in Iowa, check out the video from Iowa PBS below.

Story Sources: National Park Service Website, Des Moines Register Website