Buffalo Rock matriarch bison, Pebbles, dies

Pebbles, the matriarch American bison at Buffalo Rock State Park near Ottawa, died Tuesday afternoon of natural causes.

Pebbles, an 18-year-old bison, had been under veterinary care, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

She was born at Buffalo Rock on April 25, 2005, and was an attraction for the park.

Two bison still live at Buffalo Rock: Cocoa and her 3-year-old calf, Hope. Hope was born April 28, 2020, just weeks after the COVID-19 pandemic.