The bison population of San Francisco exploded this week as seven young females arrived at their new home in Golden Gate Park.
The bison population of San Francisco exploded this week as seven young females arrived at their new home in Golden Gate Park.
The 600- to 800-pound girls from Corning, Calif. charged off the back of their transport trailer, then just kind of hung out and smelled their new surroundings. The City’s newest arrivals will be staying with friends quarantined for a couple of months before getting their own place joining the other two remaining bison as one big happy family in the Golden Gate Park paddock.
Sourcing young buffalo was important to maintain peace in the paddock, San Francisco Zoo Assistant Curator Jim Nappi told Half Moon Bay Patch:
“We didn’t want new bison coming in as adults … and henpecking the adults who’ve lived there their whole lives. Because they’re young calves, they’re still forming who they are, they’re still learning what it’s like to be bison.”
It’s been tough lately to be a buffalo in the big city. Just three bison remained after 28-year old Pretty Old Cow and 20-year-old Tenny were euthanized last summer after living at the paddock since 1984.
Buffalo have been raised in Golden Gate Park since 1890, when a bull named Ben Harrison and a cow named Sarah Bernhardt became The City’s first captive bison residents. Over the years, as many as 30 buffalo have roamed where the skies can be cloudy all day.
The girls made the right move at the right time. Even the fog and clouds of the outer Sunset will be warmer than Corning, where January lows average 35 degrees.
So welcome, ladies. Get settled in soon. Just remember, the toughest part isn’t finding a place, it’s landing a job. Good luck.
UPDATE: You can help give one of the buffalo a name! SFBay has a nice ring to it, just sayin …
Additional sources:
Jesse Garnier is the editor and founder of SFBay. A Mission District native, he also teaches journalism as associate professor at San Francisco State University.
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