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By Janelle Stecklein
janelle.stecklein@amarillo.com
Members of the West Texas A&M Herdsmen run their newest charge, Thunder X, into Kimbrough Memorial Stadium for the start Saturday of the NCAA Division II playoff game with Central Washington. But those who work with West Texas A&M University’s newest American bison mascot have plenty of good things to say about him. The hefty 6-month-old buffalo, dubbed Thunder X, roamed the area behind an end zone Saturday during WT’s 49-42 NCAA Division II playoff victory over Central Washington at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium.
His caretakers – the Herdsmen – trained the little guy for about two months before he was presented to fans for the first time during WT’s game against Tarleton State on Nov. 8. “He was received ecstatically,” said herdsman Dan Baucom, a sophomore. His predecessor, Thunder IX, better known as Jack, served as mascot for 3½ years “Everybody said their goodbyes from the audience (Nov. 8),” Baucom said.
As Thunder X led the WT football team into the stadium Saturday, 1,300-pound Jack was relaxing and eating some of his 25 pounds of food a day, Herdsmen foreman Chuck Waltrip said. Jack will retire to Cook’s Bison Ranch in Indiana where he’ll live out his days as one of the herd. “He’ll be a happy buffalo,” Baucom said. The buffalo mascot is replaced every three to five years. The change usually coincides with the graduation cycle of the Herdsmen in order to keep the training consistent, said Herdsmen foreman Chuck Waltrip, a WT junior. “When Jack leaves it’s going to be a sad day for me,” said Waltrip. “We (grew up) together, except he’s getting out of school before me.”
The university is swapping Jack for Thunder X under an agreement with the ranch. It’s a welcome switch for some members. “It’s too easy compared to what I’m used to,” Waltrip said.Thunder X is currently about a third of Jack’s size, he’s comfortable around people and is already halter-broken, he said.The 25 Herdsmen also have modified Thunder’s training, which is positively reinforced in the form of cattle cube treats. “He’s more apt to follow you (than Jack),” Waltrip said. “He doesn’t have as much of that wild instinct as the old one does.” Jack used to like to bolt out of the trailer, said freshman Herdsman Jonathan Moore. “It was a rush,” he said. “It was pretty much like a roller coaster.” Thunder X’s exits are much more predictable. Moore said it probably has to do with Thunder’s laid-back attitude and training. “We’ve kind of figured out what to and what not to do,” he said.
