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COSTA MESA : Fairgrounds’ Buffalo Calf Will Join Rodeo

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Tatonka, a buffalo bull calf who was born at the Orange County Fairgrounds, will be leaving his pen for bigger and better plains.

The 8-month-old calf, whose name means buffalo in Sioux language, is running off to the rodeo, leaving Becky, his 7-year-old mother, behind.

Flying U Rodeo, which conducts rodeos across the country, has agreed to take Tatonka and use him in ceremonies involving Indians, buffalo and recreations of the Wild West.

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“We’re happy he’ll be in an environment where he is safe and not mistreated,” said Russ Kibota, a spokesman for the fairgrounds. “But we’ll miss him, and he’ll certainly miss his carrots, which he loves to eat. So does his mother.”

But the time for Tatonka to leave his mother was inevitable. Fair officials think it’s wise to separate the mother and calf now that Tatonka is entering into a stage where he is maturing and becoming aggressive.

As part of the deal, Cotton Rosser, the director of Flying U, said he will try to find a mate for Becky so she does not feel lonely. He has his eye on a couple of buffalo in Paso Robles.

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Tatonka is a special calf because his mother was one of the final four buffalo born on the landmark Buffalo Ranch in Irvine, which has since given way to planned residential and business development.

The four buffalo were sold, and the fairgrounds bought Becky for $2,000. Tatonka was born last May 11. He weighed 80 pounds at the time. His weight now isn’t known because he won’t get on a scale. His mother weighs 1,000.

The pair of buffalo are an attraction of the fairgrounds’ Centennial Farm, where tours are given on Tuesdays through Thursdays.

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On Wednesday, one tour guide told children to imagine a big valley filled with thousands and thousands of buffalo.

“Indians used buffalo for food and clothes, but now there are very few left,” he said.

The last day to see the baby buffalo at the Centennial Farm will be next Wednesday. For more information on the tours, call (714) 708-1543.

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