Nima

Species: Bison
Born: 2012

At the end of retreat at Earthfire, a Native American woman and a pipe-carrier for the Lakota Nation said, “You need a white buffalo,” and gifted us Nima. Prayers are offered for her regularly from afar by the pipe-carrier as they consider her to be growing into her wisdom. White bison are the rare result of a genetic mutation. They’re considered to be a manifestation of the belief that all things on Earth are connected, resulting in abundance for all.

Animal Fact

The National Bison Association has estimated that white buffalo only occur in approximately one out of every 10 million births.

Photos of Nima

Stories About Nima

Note: Many of our posts are collections of stories about multiple animals at Earthfire. The animal you’re looking for may not be shown in these post previews, but each post does contain a relevant story.

White bison eating hay

Snapshots of Earthfire

Earthfire Institute November 19, 2019

Between getting ready for winter and speaking at a variety of events, we’ve been especially busy lately. But Dante Rios, our animal caretaker, has been delighting us with beautiful pictures of our animal residents. Please enjoy! (Click to enlarge)

Face of a brown and black goat

Taking the Temperature of a Goat, and Other Earthfire Stories

Susan B. Eirich, PhD June 20, 2018

Adrianna the goat wasn’t feeling well in the evening. She refused to get up. She had diarrhea. Worried, we called the vet. “Was she wormed? Was she vaccinated? Take her temperature and call us in the morning.” Easier said than done. Taking the temperature of a feisty goat regardless of

Woman greets a white bison calf

The White Buffalo

Susan B. Eirich, PhD July 10, 2010

We had a particularly powerful workshop last October with Rose De Dan of Wild Reiki and Shamanic Healing. According to Rose and other shamans who look at life from an alternative frame, Windwalker the cougar, near the end of his days, had hung onto life to be here through the

White bison eating hay

Snapshots of Earthfire

Earthfire Institute November 19, 2019

Between getting ready for winter and speaking at a variety of events, we’ve been especially busy lately. But Dante Rios, our animal caretaker, has been delighting us with beautiful pictures of our animal residents. Please enjoy! (Click to enlarge)

Face of a brown and black goat

Taking the Temperature of a Goat, and Other Earthfire Stories

Susan B. Eirich, PhD June 20, 2018

Adrianna the goat wasn’t feeling well in the evening. She refused to get up. She had diarrhea. Worried, we called the vet. “Was she wormed? Was she vaccinated? Take her temperature and call us in the morning.” Easier said than done. Taking the temperature of a feisty goat regardless of

Woman greets a white bison calf

The White Buffalo

Susan B. Eirich, PhD July 10, 2010

We had a particularly powerful workshop last October with Rose De Dan of Wild Reiki and Shamanic Healing. According to Rose and other shamans who look at life from an alternative frame, Windwalker the cougar, near the end of his days, had hung onto life to be here through the

It's Giving Tuesday, and at Earthfire Institute we

It's Giving Tuesday, and at Earthfire Institute we believe in the gift of reciprocity. We want to show our supporters how much we appreciate you, so we're offering not one, but TWO ways to win a signed copy of Founder and Executive Director, Susan B. Eirich's new book, Whispers from the Wild: An Invitation.

Ways to enter:
-Donate to Earthfire Institute on Facebook. Donations received through Facebook on Giving Tuesday are 100% matched by Meta, so we encourage those of you with Facebook to donate that way. Simply click on the blue donate button on our Facebook page. You are also welcome to donate directly through our website. The largest donation will receive a signed copy of Susan's new book, Whispers from the Wild: An Invitation.

-Start your own Facebook fundraiser for on behalf of Earthfire Institute on Giving Tuesday. To learn how, follow this link: https://www.facebook.com/help/990087377765844

The animals under our care are the heartbeat of our mission. When we begin to see the individuality of each bear or wolf or fox, it changes the way we think about other living beings. Their stories give voice to the voiceless, reunite us with what is precious, and remind us all Life is not only interconnected, but has its own inherent value, and we are part of it.
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#GivingTuesday #EarthfireInstitute #WildlifeSanctuary #ReconnectionEcology

Happy 12th Birthday Tahi! Tahi is a petite mount

Happy 12th Birthday Tahi!

Tahi is a petite mountain lion who retains her natural shyness and catlike curiosity. Before her rescue at the early age of 9 weeks old, she was found in abysmal conditions and was malnourished upon arrival at Earthfire. Luckily, she received the care and nutrition she needed to recuperate and grow into a healthy adult. Tahi gets the zoomies pretty often, dashing around the trees and peeking from hidey-holes in her garden. She delights in fresh trout, grabbing the fish by the head and running into her shelter so no one can steal it.

#tahi #cougar #EarthfireInstitute #WildlifeSanctuary #FlourishingHabitatsForAllLife

Happy Howl-O-Ween! Pumpkin season is a fan favor

Happy Howl-O-Ween!

Pumpkin season is a fan favorite for the furry residents here at the sanctuary! Not only are these squashes a powerhouse of nutritional benefits for animals and humans alike, but they provide an excellent opportunity for novel enrichment. Our animal caretakers carve and gut the pumpkins before stuffing them with an assortment of meats, veggies and fruits. The animals take utmost pleasure in ripping apart the pumpkins before partaking in the tasty morsels nestled inside. Our foxes were more than pleased to devour the pumpkins, alongside the treats; the bears on the other hand were nimble and gentle when it came to finessing the goods from their pumpkin prison.
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#Halloween #Enrichment #Pumpkins #EarthfireInstitute #WildlifeSanctuary #FlourishingHabitatsForAllLife #Nature #Foxes #Wolves #Bears #Fox

We are thrilled to announce that Susan’s book Wh

We are thrilled to announce that Susan’s book Whisper From The Wild: An Invitation is now available to purchase as a Hardcover or Paperback on Amazon. In a few short weeks, an Ebook version will also be available on Amazon.

Get your copy here: https://rb.gy/il9kl
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#WhispersFromTheWild #AnInvitation #StoriesFromTheRescuedWildAnimals #EarthfireInstitute #WildlifeSanctuary #Amazon

After over 12 years in the making, we are thrilled

After over 12 years in the making, we are thrilled to announce that Whispers from the Wild: An Invitation is ready for release. In honor of this, we invite you to join us tonight for a virtual book launch, where Susan will conduct a live reading from her book and invite questions about the stories from attendees.

Please register here if you are able to attend:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Sp0Y3V4ORRmCgzSJ4FFJ7g#/registration?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=b993fb74-751b-427c-8074-f26701b312fa

Hibernation Preparations One of our annual Autumn

Hibernation Preparations

One of our annual Autumn projects is raking up dry leaves to offer the bears for their hibernation bedding. We provide each bear multiple piles of dry hay and leaves, which they methodically pull into their dens, based on their individual styles. After several days of the caretakers providing additional piles of hay and leaves, their beds are finally “just right” for hibernating.

We have raked up all of the leaves we need for this year, but we won’t offer it to the bears for another couple of weeks yet, typically around November 5 - 10. These photos were captured during Teton Totem’s final bedding preparation in November of 2021, before his physical form left us the following year.
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#Hibernation #Bears #Bramble #Ramble #EarthfireInstitute #WildlifeSanctuary #FlourishingHabitatsForAllLife

On Wednesday, October 25th, we are hosting a virtu

On Wednesday, October 25th, we are hosting a virtual book launch for Susan, where she will conduct a live reading from Whispers from the Wild and invite questions about the stories from attendees.

We would love to have you join us on this special occasion. Please register here if you are able to attend:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Sp0Y3V4ORRmCgzSJ4FFJ7g#/registration?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=b993fb74-751b-427c-8074-f26701b312fa
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#WhispersFromTheWild #AnInvitation #StorySharing #Nature #Life #ReconnectionEcology #SusanBEirich #FlourishingHabitatsForAllLife

There is never a dull moment here at Earthfire Ins

There is never a dull moment here at Earthfire Institute. We recently had two young squirrels, likely ten weeks old, surrendered to the sanctuary after they were discovered fallen from their nest with no mom anywhere to be found.

Fortunately, both babies were unharmed, lively and overall appeared to be in good health thanks to the loving care of the ladies who rescued them and drove 2.5 hours each way to bring them to us. Although the squirrels aren’t keen on giving up their formula, preferring a syringe or two of the warm fluid first thing in the chilly October mornings, we are slowly weaning them off of said milk and attempting to feed solely solid foods. We are happy to report that they are climbing, foraging, stashing, and have expertly crafted a den for themselves out of hay. We suspect they should be ready for soft release in a couple of weeks.
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#Rehabilitation #Squirrels #EarthfireInstitute #WildlifeSanctuary #DonorSupported #Thankyou #Partnership #FourishingHabitatsForAllLife #ReconnectionEcology #Life

Help us heal our connection with wildlife and nature.

Our website presents an aspect of relating to wild animals that many of us don’t realize is possible. We believe that all Life is deeply interconnected and we have much to learn from each other through meaningful, guided interaction led by professional animal handlers. Authentic reconnection results in action to protect wildlands and wild beings.

Earthfire Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. EIN 82-0525968

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Driggs, Idaho 83422

Phone/Fax: 208-456-0926

office@earthfireinstitute.org

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