Tatanka joined Bison Lacrosse after escaping the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. Since then, Tatanka had made their share of TikTok videos, appeared at the Halloween Hustle tournament, celebrated National Bison Day at Reunion Coffee House, joined an afterschool lacrosse clinic, and ran onto the Ball Arena field to cheer on Bison Lacrosse as the box lacrosse team played prior to the Colorado Mammoth game. Three months into their role as official mascot of Bison Lacrosse, we sit down with Tatanka to talk about their Bison life – past, present, and future.
Gazelle Grazer from Ungulate Magazine interviews Tatanka from Bison Lacrosse Club.
Gazelle Grazer: So, Tatanka, tell me, what made you decide to leave the Wildlife Refuge?
Tatanka: Well, you see, I had this idol. You may know him as Wooly the Mammoth. I always looked up to him as another shaggy underdog who never fit in. The only difference was, Wooley was living the life I always dreamed. Well, anyway, I woke up one day and thought, “Well why can’t I do that too?”. So, I got out. And here I am.
Gazelle: That’s amazing. So inspirational. What have you been doing as a newly free man?
Tatanka: Oh actually, Gazelle, I’m Non-Bisonary and use They/Them pronouns.
Gazelle: Oh, my mistake.
Tatanka: No worries. But I've been really busy since my escape. Since then, I’ve been involved in A Halloween Hustle Tournament, school Lacrosse clinics and I even had a whole event dedicated to ME at Reunion Coffee House! Oh and I finally made it!
Gazelle: Made it?
Tatanka: Yeah, I made it to be where my hero is. Just a few days ago, the Bison Club kids got to play on the Ball Arena field. And I got to go with them!
Gazelle: Congratulations! So did you get to meet your role model himself, Wooley?
Tatanka: No actually, he kinda dissed me so long story short, I’ll be working on myself for a while. Who needs role models when you’re a successful Bison with moves? Oh yeah, I’ve been learning to dance on my TikTok channel, @tatankaofficial_tiktok.
Gazelle: Good for you, I’ll be sure to check that out. What do you plan on doing next with your Bison Lacrosse Club?
Tatanka: Well, our spring season is coming up and that’s always great!
Gazelle: How many kids signed up?
Tatanka: It’s not final yet. Registration is still open until February 20th.
Gazelle: Oh really? Wow, I’d love to sign my kids up for that but they’re both girls.
Tatanka: Really, Gazelle? I’m a Non-Bisonary mascot. You think we care if you’re a boy or a girl? We let anyone play.
Gazelle: That’s great!
Tatanka: Yep! And other than the spring season, we always have new events that just pop up. Never a dull day with Bison! That’s why we have a flag to show off our superiority. Just kidding, we try to stay humble. But we do have a special announcement coming up this Wednesday, February 2 so tell everyone to stay tuned.
Gazelle: I think you just did. This wraps up our interview. Thank you for sharing your time with us Tatanka!