Two new bison born at South Park Game Preserve
The population at the South Park Game Preserve grew a little bigger this weekend with the birth of two calves.
Tim Foster, who lives near the preserve and volunteers there, said Lily, who gave birth for the first time last April, became a mother again Friday.
“Lily was the first one we noticed Big Head mating with,” Foster said, referring to the herd’s lone bull. “So, we figured it has to be Lily first. That was awesome. Lily had such a difficult time with the birth of Blue last year. We were really worried about the health of both of them.”
The second was born Sunday, bringing the number of bison at the preserve to 11.
Foster said photos were being taken of the newborn Friday and Saturday when Rosie, another member of the herd, was seen checking out the little buffalo hut at the preserve.
“We felt Rosie was really close,” Foster said. “We went back (Sunday) morning and were with them for about 3½ hours, then went home to get something to eat. We got a call from one of the followers that Rosie just had a baby. It was amazing.”
Mothers and babies are doing well, Foster said, noting the herd functions as one big family.
“When Rosie had the baby, her baby from last year, baby Diane, was right next to her, watching the baby nurse,” Foster said. “Big Head was right there. He is so big and so strong. When you see him bend down and give the baby a nice little lick on the head, it’s like, ‘You’re amazing, big guy.'”
Baby bison tend to be born from late March through May and are orange-red in color, earning them the nickname, “red dogs.” After a few months, their hair starts to change to dark brown and their characteristic shoulder hump and horns begin to grow.
The bison have roamed South Park since 1927, when an Allegheny County commissioner purchased 18 and brought them to the area amid fear of extinction. They have been a staple of the area since. The American bison is the largest land animal in North America.
It is too early to determine the gender of the red dogs, but they have been given two sets of names.
Foster said the Friends of the South Park Game Preserve named the calf born Friday “Takoda,” from the Sioux Tribe meaning “friend to all,” and the other “Elu,” which means “beautiful” from the Native American Zuni Tribe.
“We had a whole extended family come out recently from North Pole, Alaska,” Foster explained. “They said they follow our page, love what we do. They had a lot of Native American blood. They were so excited. The more we talked, the more I realized I wanted to get into the Native American history that is so intertwined.”
However, the Allegheny Park staff has chosen different names.
According to its Facebook page, the calf born Friday was named Riis, after Paul Riis, the founder of the Allegheny County Parks system, while the one born Sunday was named Roddey, after Jim Roddey, the first Allegheny County executive who recently died.
Foster said the Native American names were chosen after citing the history of the county naming the red dogs, including giving them monikers such as Hitler and Napoleon in the 1950s.
“When I learned this, I was almost dumbfounded,” Foster said. “These are such peaceful, loving animals, so we have been going with names like Daisy, Violet, Clover, Lily and Crimson.”
On the Friends of the South Park Game Preserve Facebook page, Foster further explains his reasoning.
“We always wanted to work closely with the county for the betterment of these animals,” Foster said. “…We were shocked when we learned that the county was adding names to their press release for the first time ever. We would have certainly been happy to discuss this with them if they would have asked. I’d strongly prefer to name parks or playgrounds after former politicians but would really have really wanted to avoid playing politics with the naming of these beautiful animals.”
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