Aww!
Lonely blind bison befriended by curious calf and changes her life
The bison struggled to make friends with other animals...until Oliver came and changed everything.
Eduardo Gaskell
12.07.21

Animals, like us humans, are mostly social creatures. They need to belong to a group in order to thrive and survive. While some are solitary creatures, animals do require attention and most times, affection.

As anti-social as some of us are, there’s no denying that a good chat with close friends works wonders.

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This female bison living in a farm sanctuary found out that having one good friend is more than enough.

A blind bison named Helen was living at the six-acre pasture of Lighthouse Farm Sanctuary in Oregon. Her owner could no longer afford to care for her so he left Helen in the sanctuary.

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Gwen Jakubisin, executive director of the sanctuary, says that he and the team tried to find a “pasture pal” for Helen. Helen wasn’t having it. She remained suspicious and nervous the entire time

They thought Helen would never change but it was a Jersey calf named Oliver that answered their problems.

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Helen was completely ignored by all the other animals, and it was just the way she liked it, but Oliver was able to tear down those walls and establish a friendship with the bison.

This once lonesome bison now spends all of her time with Oliver, whom she seems to have adopted and called her own!

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Oliver comes out to be with Helen every day on the pasture where they graze, nap, and eat together.

“I catch them grooming each other which is amazing because I don’t think Helen has ever had that opportunity to express that motherly instinct before,” Jakubisin said. “The change in her demeanor is incredible, her joy is palpable.”

Helen treats Oliver like her own!

“Betsy [Oliver’s birth mother] usually drops Oliver off at ‘daycare’ and roams around while Helen watches over him for the rest of day, and she’s cool with that,” she said.

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It cannot be explained but Oliver’s once sandy fawn fur eventually turned into a smoky brown like Helen’s. It’s truly baffling and it is scientifically impossible but take a close look at these two.

“He’s actually turned into a baby buffalo,” the director said.

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The Lighthouse Farm Sanctuary was founded in 2002.

They care for pigs, horses, chickens, cows, goats, sheep and many other animals. The sanctuary’s mission is to “help shine a light on the realities of animal agriculture and lead the way to a more compassionate world.”

“At Lighthouse Farm Sanctuary we believe that every individual has the right to freedom. Freedom from pain, freedom from fear, and freedom from oppression. We provide those with the most heartbreaking stories hope and the promise of the freedom to be themselves. A promise of companionship, of love, and of care,” Lighthouse says on their Facebook page.

Thanks to Oliver, the once aloof bison is now friends with all the other animals. Helen broke free from her walls, and totally understandable since she was left alone, thanks to young Oliver. It’s a friendship that really melts viewers.

Watch this uncanny bond below!

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