Ralphie IV, the retired live buffalo mascot of the University of Colorado, died Sunday. She was 19.
Originally named Rowdy, she was born in April 1997 at media mogul Ted Turner’s Flying D Ranch in Gallatin Gateway, Mont. As a calf, she suffered life-threatening injuries.
According to her profile on CUBuffs.com: “She was separated from her mother when she was about a month old and was found in the jaws of a coyote with bite marks around her neck. She survived the attack and was bottle-fed by the ranch hands for four months.”
Turner donated Rowdy to the school in 1998 where she spent nearly 10 years serving as the CU’s mascot, from 1998-2008.