It's šuŋka lúta (red dog) season for Pté Oyate (Buffalo Nation)! 💛🤍🦬🖤❤️

Beginning in March or April the first fuzzy red furred calves are born. The precise origin of the nickname is lost, but my Father’s people—the Oglala Lakota—were one group that referred to the babies as "red dogs" as they more closely resembled dogs than the cows and bulls of their herds.

Šuŋka lúta [shoonkah lootah] are incredibly adorable and petting—or just approaching one—is a great way to experience being trampled or gored by an enraged 1,000 lbs (460 kg) cow or 2,000 lbs (908 kg) bull. And those are just average weights, they can often get up to 1,800 to 2,400 lbs.

NEVER approach a fuzzy, fluffy, adorable baby tourist stomper. Their parents can take out a puma, wolf pack or freakin' grizzly. A tourist will be no problem.

And even if you find one without any adults nearby, call the park rangers if in a state/provincial or national park or the local state/provincial wildlife agency.

NEVER touch or pick up a baby bison.

A šuŋka lúta was killed last year because some wašlolyešni wašiču (I'm not translating that—use your imagination) decided to pick it up and put it in his car to drive it to the ranger station.

photos via U.S. Forest Service–Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie and the Peoria tribe of Oklahoma