How a Saxon man found his love for bisons in Canada

Frank Selka has run his Buffalo Ranch in Neukieritzsch, near Leipzig for 11 years now. He started with 20 imported animals on a 30-hectare area of regenerated open-cast mining land.
Today, 200 female animals with their calves are grazing on more than 200 hectares of land. One hundred bisons per year are slaughtered and taken apart in Frank Selka’s own company. The meat and sausages are then sold in the ranch’s farm shop, to gastronomy and to wholesalers. In addition, Selka sells living animals, skins, skulls and mounted specimens. Together with his Belgian business partner he has got 600 female animals and this is quite a size for the European bison market.

But Frank Selka’s path to success wasn’t straight to say the least. Born in Zwenkau, he is the son of a family of publicans. His great grandfather was the landlord of the „Roten Ochsen“ in Stolpen.
But young Frank’s aspirations were elsewhere – far away. In 1979 he was allowed to leave and move to West Germany with his wife. The Saxon, who is always on the go, opened his restaurant „Sächsischer Hof“ in the midst of the Palatine vineyards, even though his friends thought he was crazy to do so. The business did well because near the restaurant, in a town called Ludwigshafen, many people from East Germany, who moved to the West in the 50s, worked at the company BASF, Selka remembers. Customers even travelled in from Frankfurt and Bonn because the substantial Saxon food was so good.

When the Wall came down and East Germany was no longer the exotic far-away destination it used to be, Frank Selka got itchy feet once again. He wanted to move even further west. The wilderness of Canada with its wide plains and endless highways lured him in. In the north of Vancouver on Highway 96, a restaurant and hotel in the style of a log cabin was waiting for new landlords – and they came from Saxony! Contact with the bison came naturally. Frank Selka loves to reminisce about his old friend and mentor Albert, who was one of the first white men allowed to keep bison in captivity. But the Selka’s luck ran out. In 1999 Selka’s wife was run over by one of the long lumber trucks and died. As a result Selka decided to move back to Saxony.

For his third fresh start he had an idea – bison in Saxony. Frank Selka was able to buy a part of regenerated open-cast mining land near his former home. With bison from Canada, catch equipment from the USA and wire fencing from England he started his bison-breeding business on the 30-hectare piece of land in Neukieritzsch.

Today, the grounds are called Buffalo Ranch and incorporate a visitor centre with a farm shop, slaughter house and a barbecue hut. Most of his bison graze securely on secluded former open-cast mining land in the surrounding area. The main task for the bison breeder is to keep a careful watch on the bison. Numbers have to be checked and monitored on a daily basis. There is enough work for Selka and one permanent employee. “Throughout the business, the bison give another 20 people a job”, says Selka.

The bison, which can weigh up to a ton, can run as fast as 60 kilometres per hour. Over longer distances they manage 50 kilometers per hour. Selka knows the almost two-metre high special fencing is right for the job – bison can, but rarely jump that high!

Most of the time the undemanding animals spend their time grazing, relaxing and walking around. They are always outside, even in winter. Temperatures of up to minus 40 degrees Celsius are no problem. Hay made on his farm and water are the only things Selka’s bison need. Hormones, antibiotics and concentrated feed are off limits. Therefore the meat of these shaggy animals is very healthy. It is lower in fat and tenderer than beef, low in cholesterol and calories and tastes of a mixture of beef and game, says Frank Selka.

In the EU-licensed butchery belonging to the farm, the animals are slaughtered and parted. Deliveries are made to amateur chefs, gourmets and gastronomy alike. Everything not sold in the farm shop or to wholessalers or is delivered as orders for fresh meat is made into bison salami, sausages and ham by the local Pegauer Fleisch- und Wurstwaren GmbH. A furrier from Rötha processes the skins and the skulls are treated. There is hardly a part of the bison that can’t be used for something. Selka’s living bison are sold as far away as Lithuania, Scandinavia and Austria.

If you want to see it for yourself you can take part in a ranch tour. For groups of 20 people or more Frank Selka organises guided tours around the Buffalo Ranch. Tours have to be pre-booked but are free of charge. Only a visit to the farm shop and a sampling of the products after the tour are expected. Of course you can visit the farm shop without pre-booking. You can find the opening times and more information about bison (and the meat) on the website.