The Tupelo Buffalo Park and Zoo is a
zoo
A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes.
The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zoo ...
located in
Tupelo, Mississippi. At , it is the largest zoo in the state of
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
.
History
The Tupelo Buffalo Park and Zoo was founded by Dan Franklin and is located at 2272 North Coley Road.
Buffalo
A large herd of
American bison
The American bison (''Bison bison'') is a species of bison native to North America. Sometimes colloquially referred to as American buffalo or simply Bubalina, buffalo (a different clade of bovine), it is one of two extant species of bison, alongs ...
roam the park. Modified school buses with large, off-road tires take visitors into the park to see the herd.
Rare white buffalo
The Buffalo Park was home to Tukota, a rare
white bison, not an
albino
Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albino.
Varied use and interpretation of the term ...
. There are several great legends by the
Sioux tribes explaining the creation and the infrequent occurrence of the white buffalo. A white buffalo is so rare in fact that they only occur one time in five million births. Tukota was born at the park. This made "Tukota" one of the more special animals at the Tupelo Buffalo Park and Zoo. His name was the winning submission from Mrs. Mills' 4th Grade class at Rankin Elementary School in 2002. Tukota died in early 2012 due to a fight with another buffalo in the park. His injuries were life-threatening, thus the decision was made to euthanize the rare animal.
Animals
Attractions
External links
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Year of establishment missing
Zoos in Mississippi
Protected areas of Lee County, Mississippi
Tourist attractions in Lee County, Mississippi
Landmarks in Mississippi
Buildings and structures in Tupelo, Mississippi
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