RICHMOND, Va. -- Maymont is mourning the loss of a beloved bison named Snoopy.
Snoopy passed away after a brief illness on Sunday, just a few months shy of her 21st birthday. She was the senior matriarch of the three female American bison who live at Maymont.
“Snoopy lived to a ripe old age for a bison,” said Joe Neel, Maymont Senior Manager of Zoology. “The average life span of a wild bison is 12 to 20 years. Like many of the animals who come to live at Maymont, where they are safe from predators and given a healthy diet and room for exercise, she lived to the age of a typical domesticated bison of 20 to 25 years.”
Snoopy's two companions, Dakota and Cheyenne, will receive extra care and attention as they adjust to the loss of Snoopy.
Snoopy arrived at Maymont as a two-year-old in July 2003 from the Virginia Zoological Park. For 19 years, she served as an animal ambassador. Bison herds once roamed North America but were hunted nearly to extinction in the late 1800s.
“Snoopy represented an important piece of American history. Many people don’t realize that bison used to live in Virginia. As she and her two companions roamed the hills and valley in their range at Maymont, they gave guests a tangible sense of the importance of conservation efforts,” said Parke Richeson, Maymont Executive Director.
