DENVER — Ralphie the Buffalo is getting ready for her trip back from the Alamo Bowl to Colorado, but what goes into getting this beloved live mascot prepared for a trip though? Denver7 spoke with Ralphie’s team to see how their trip to San Antonio went and how they made sure Ralphie was safe throughout the journey.
“We loaded her up on Sunday morning the 22nd and drove down,” said Taylor Stratton, program director for Ralphie the Buffalo.
Ralphie might be a local to Colorado, but nobody can hold her back from the Lone Star State. The CU Buffs live mascot made the roughly 16-hour, 938-mile journey to San Antonio in an open-air trailer, according to Stratton.
“We got here the night of the 23rd, stopped halfway so that everyone could get a break and she could unload and relax a little bit. But it's been a really great drive and a really fun experience so far, “ said Stratton.
While the Director says Ralphie enjoyed the ride, how do you keep an animal of this size safe crossing state lines?
“So we've been really lucky along the way. I reached out to a couple of the members, like our agricultural community, and we've had so many people volunteer to give us locations to stay overnight. So, we're really grateful for that,” she said.
The help allows Ralphie have access to medical care during the trip should anything arise. Ralphie also got the chance to take a break during the journey to stretch out those legs for her Texas debut, and according to her handlers, it sounds like things are going well.
“She's definitely been enjoying the sights of the road trip. It's her first time crossing state lines and going on an adventure,” she said.
Once Ralphie exits the field, the process will start again to get her back home to Colorado. However, the trip is not ending without Stratton taking in this historic moment.
“It's been wonderful to watch Coach Prime through this program, and we're just really grateful and thankful that we're able to be part of that experience and come here to San Antonio,” she said.
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