PET BUFFALO ENJOYS NEW HOME ON THE RANGE, RUNNING WITH HUMANS.

Byline: Victoria Giraud

Rick Kinney of Moorpark's Bitterroot Ranch must have taken to heart those old lyrics, ``Oh give me a home where the buffalo roam . . .''

For the past three years, Rick's been the proud owner of Lucky Walt, the baby buffalo he won in a contest sponsored by Hart Park in Newhall.

Lucky Walt was born four years ago to a buffalo that was part of Hart Park's small herd. His mother died when he was just 16 days old, and park rangers raised him by hand. When he was old enough and weaned from a bottle, they put him back in the buffalo herd, but he was rejected.

As Rick explained, ``He didn't know about being a buffalo; he couldn't speak the language.''

Rick, who owns and manages a 1,308-acre ranch where he raises and trains thoroughbred race horses, admires the buffalo and what it stands for.

``It's a symbol of resilience, of coming back despite it all,'' Rick said.

Five years ago, Rick established a social club for horse lovers and called it the Buffalo Club. So not surprisingly, his interest was piqued when he saw an ad in Horse Trader magazine for the young buffalo.

``I thought he'd be a great mascot and would give my daughter (Casey) a great opportunity to train him,'' Rick recalled. He had also read about a man in Washington state who rode and successfully raced his buffalo, and Rick wanted to try it.

The ad drew about 64 responses, including the University of Colorado, which wanted the buffalo for its mascot. To make their decision easier, Hart Park officials decided to hold a contest with Lucky Walt going to the winner. They asked contestants to describe what kind of life the buffalo would have with his new owner.

``I submitted a short story describing his life on the range, and that he would be a project for my daughter to train the buffalo so I could ride it,'' Rick said.

Rick's plans haven't fully materialized. Casey discovered boys and outgrew her interest in the buffalo, and Lucky Walt turned out much smaller than Rick had hoped, even though he won't attain his full height until he's 7.

Since Lucky Walt was raised by humans, he's calmer and not as wild as most buffaloes would be, Rick said. He's treated like a family pet. Besides his normal alfalfa feed, he's pampered with treats such as red licorice (his favorite), lemon drop cookies, apples and carrots.

He's been a popular buffalo. Rick's last ranch was close to a main road.

``At least five cars a day would come by and drive in to see Lucky Walt. He was also part of the cyclist's tour. They'd take a break at Lucky Walt's corral.''

Rick said Hart Park wanted him to bring the buffalo back to the park for special events, but it's hard to get a 1,200-pound buffalo into a trailer.

Lucky Walt spends most of his days free to roam thousands of acres. For company, he's got lots of horses, 50 beefalo (a cross breed of beef cattle and buffalo), goats, roosters, dogs, cats, sheep and even a burro, who also was adopted.

Since Rick is involved managing a weekly summer equestrian program for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Simi Valley and Moorpark, Lucky Walt occasionally gets some human company.

The buffalo isn't afraid of humans. When this reporter visited his corral, Lucky Walt came over to explore my red shirt. He sniffed and then pulled it into his mouth with his big black, pointed tongue. Then he let go and walked away. It didn't taste like apples or cookies; he'd found out I was just a material girl.

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Photo: Lucky Walt noses in for a treat from Rick Kinney atBitterroot Ranch in Moorpark. Kinney won his unique pet in a contest at Hart Park.

Andy Holzman/Special to the Daily News