IOWA: This is Sparky, one tough bison at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge in Iowa.
In the summer of 2013, Sparky was struck by lightning on his shoulder hump.
Photo by Karen Viste-Sparkman, USFWS.
Wildlife Biologist Karen Viste-Sparkman noticed a bull standing by himself while doing a survey of bison on the refuge in late July 2013.
As she inspected the bison closer, it was clear that he had been struck by lightning and burned over a large area of his body. The Bison, nicknamed “Sparky”, was thin after the strike and wasn’t expected to live long.
The refuge decided to let nature take its course considering a bison could be struck by lightening anywhere, however, several years later, Sparky is still going strong!
Click the link below to be read the full story by Courtney Celley, Public Affairs Specialist, Midwest Region on Sparky’s amazing story of survival.
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