Ralphie the Buffalo

While commonly referred to as a buffalo, Ralphie is actually an American bison as no buffalo have ever lived in North America. Bison have the characteristic large humps at their shoulders, long and large heads, and upward growing horns compared to the outward growing horns of the buffalo.[2] Bison are found in North America and Europe while buffalo are native to Africa and Asia. [3]

The Ralphie Handlers are varsity student-athletes who run with Ralphie, take her to appearances, and care for her year round. On an average week during football season, Ralphie Handlers will volunteer 20-30 hours to the program in training, practicing, appearances, and caring for the beloved mascot. In the off-season they still put forth 20 hours a week toward the program, always caring for Ralphie and staying in top shape to be able to run with Ralphie. The handlers have designated sprint workouts and lifts twice a week before classes to be able to handle Ralphie and stay in shape for all Ralphie-related tasks, carrying panels and hay bales, to name a few.

The Ralphie Live Mascot Program is under the direction of Program Manager and Coach Taylor Stratton, Assistant Program Manager, and Coach Colton Behr. Both Stratton and Behr were Ralphie Handlers when they were students at Colorado. They provide the sprint training for Ralphie and her Handlers and provide Ralphie with daily care. The team consists of approximately 15-18 student-athletes made up of both males and females. The Handlers earn a varsity letter each year they are on the team if they fulfill the requirements set out by the coaching staff. Handlers first started earning varsity letters in 1987. Even though the Handlers do not fall under NCAA jurisdiction, the Athletic Department still holds them to the same standards as all other varsity athletes in the department, including minimum GPA requirements, full course load, and other rules. The first female Handler joined the team in 1992. Females have had a strong presence in the program ever since.

Initially, the students who ran with Ralphie were called "The Men Who Run with Ralphie." In 1970 the term for the students changed to Ralphie Runners, as a direct representation of the feat they did with Ralphie at each game. As the team and the program became more formalized and regulated, the term for the students became Ralphie Handlers in the late 1980s. The responsibilities and duties of the students on the team increased from just running with Ralphie to assisting in her overall care and maintenance, the reasoning behind changing their name from Ralphie Runners to Ralphie Handlers.

Colorado Athletics and the Ralphie Live Mascot Program are proud of the care and treatment they provide to the bison who serves as Colorado's live mascot. Ralphie receives year-round, daily care from a family of "Ralphie" professionals who understand her needs. While the Ralphie Program demonstrates a positive relationship between humans and buffalo, this relationship has been established through knowledge, training, and experience. Ralphie's "herd" is her care team of coaches and Handlers, who are with her daily, along with another buffalo, her companion.

She lives on a ranch in an undisclosed location to protect and provide Ralphie with the best living environment. Only current members of the Ralphie Program (coaches, Handlers, and her veterinarians) are permitted to visit the ranch.

Ralphie, like all bison, adapts very well to the climate she lives in. Bison have very efficient body mechanisms that allow them to cool themselves down during the hot and dry times of the year and keep themselves warm during the cold and wet winters. They thrive in all types of weather, from over-100-degree days with no clouds to well below zero with winter blizzards. Ralphie has access to shelters that allow her to get out of the weather; however, she prefers to be outside regardless of wind, rain, snow, ice, cold, or heat.

In addition to the splendor of her natural environment, Ralphie's pasture is dotted with large scratching posts made of old street sweeper brushes donated to the Ralphie Program by the City of Boulder. She uses these mainly in the spring to help shed her thick winter coat. Ralphie also has several large traffic cones, large rubber balls, and large tractor tires that she enjoys playing with.

Ralphie is fed premium grass hay daily to supplement the grass she grazes. Ralphie will eat about 25 - 30 pounds of grasses and hay daily. Daily, Ralphie's water tanks are cleaned of floating hay daily, and once a week they are drained and scrubbed. Depending on the season, she drinks about 10 - 15 gallons of water a day. During the winter, Ralphie will eat snow as a source of water, but her water tanks are also heated, so she always has access to fresh water.

Ralphie's manure is gathered daily and put into a large compost pile. This serves multiple purposes, including decreasing the fly population, helping to keep her pastures fresh for her to graze, and speeding up the breakdown of the manure so it can be applied to the pastures as fertilizer.

During the summer months, flies are commonly associated with livestock. Various fly control methods are utilized to combat flies at Ralphie's ranch. Diatomaceous earth, essentially seashells that have been ground into a fine powder, is spread to dehydrate and reduce flies and make their breeding grounds less friendly. Another natural product used is Fly Predators, tiny flies that will feed on the larva of the pest flies, thus preventing additional flies from hatching. Fly Predators do not bother Ralphie. If needed, adult flytraps are used to mitigate a substantial adult population, keeping them away from Ralphie. Although many steps are taken to prevent and keep flies away from Ralphie, they are only a nuisance and do not harm Ralphie.

Ralphie has several advocates, besides her coaches and Handlers, that ensure her well-being. She has her veterinarian who provides annual wellness exams and vaccinations and is always available to come to check on her should the need arise. The University of Colorado's Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) also visit Ralphie for an annual inspection. The Ralphie Program has an exhibitor's license through the United States Department of Agriculture. With that, a USDA inspector conducts a surprise inspection every 8 - 12 months to ensure compliance with the Animal Welfare Act. The Ralphie Program strives to go further than the baseline requirements of all inspection standards.

Ralphie always travels in a custom-made trailer designed just for her. The trailer is insulated on both the sides and the roof. It also has vents on the sides and roof that can be opened and closed to adjust airflow and temperature inside the trailer. The inside walls and floor are lined with rubber mats for her comfort. The trailer is also long enough and wide enough for her to walk around, turn around, and lie down, if she wants. Special gates inside the trailer can be closed to allow the Handlers to easily and safely get her harness and headstall on her and bring her in and out of the trailer. Whenever Ralphie travels, she always has fresh water and hay available should she want either. Her trailer is cleaned every time she is moved, including in between halves at football games.

When Ralphie is meeting fans, she stays in her gold pen. The Handlers strategically stand around her pen to keep fans from getting too close or standing in a place or manner that would upset her. Handlers do not allow fans to pet or surround her, making sure she is comfortable.

Ralphie IV in her pen at the Georgia game on September 23, 2006. Also seen is the trailer in which she travels.

She rarely travels to away games—bowl games excluded—and only when permitted by the rules of the host stadium. Ralphie IV traveled to the September 23, 2006, game against the Georgia Bulldogs along with an ESPN producer and cameraman who documented the trip and aired a special on that weekend's College Gameday.[11] She also traveled to the 2005 Champs Sports Bowl.[12]

She used to wear a custom-made banner that read "GO CU" on one side, and "Beat [the opposing team]" on the other side with the CU Logo, such as "Beat CSU". Ralphie travels to games and appearances in a black custom stock trailer emblazoned with her name in gold. Ralphie and her trailer are pulled through the University Hill neighborhood before games on her way to the stadium.

Ralphie is held in a secret location so that she will not be harassed or harmed by the public, keeping her and the public safe from harm.

A tradition of the Ralphie Handler Team is to eat a large team breakfast or lunch at a local diner prior to game-day events.

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  Ralphie IV running at Colorado's first win of the 2006 season, and head coach Dan Hawkins' first win at Colorado on October 14, 2006 against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Notice the "BEAT TECH" on Ralphie's outfit.
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  Ralphie IV running at the game against the Kansas State Wildcats on November 4, 2006. Notice the "BEAT KSU" on Ralphie's outfit. The handlers often lose their cowboy hats.
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  Ralphie IV is made available to the public during football season so they can take pictures and touch her. This picture taken on October 6, 2006, the day before she made her appearance at the game against the Baylor Bears.
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  Ralphie IV making her run in the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on November 25, 2005.

• Colorado Buffaloes football
• University of Colorado Boulder#Mascot; spirit program
• Colorado Buffaloes#Mascots

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ralphie.

• University of Colorado Ralphie official site
• ESPN Page 2 - article about Ralphie and her handlers
• Colorado Traditions
• College football's 12 coolest mascots: 1. Ralphie the Buffalo, Colorado. FoxSports.com. Retrieved 2010-09-01.