Public’s renewed interest in South Park buffalo thanks to Foster family and ‘Buffalo Bob’ Kuzma
Big Head with his equally big tongue
Baby Diane munches on corn and other veggies.
The Foster family. From left, Tianna, Axton, Diane and Tim.
Diane Foster poses along the fence
Axton Foster with an apple slice for one of the buffalo.
Tianna Foster feeds a buffalo.
The noble American bison at South Park’s Game Preserve have been largely forgotten by many people over the years. But since March, they have been “discovered” again thanks to the efforts of a South Park family who has brought notoriety to this special population of animals relocated to the area in 1927 by an Allegheny County commissioner.
Impressive, massive animals, the American bison, or buffalo, as they are referred to, have stood watch over South Park, enclosed in a preserve covering two large fields, under the care of county workers for decades. When a recent housing development plan was proposed in the Sleepy Hollow area, one of the locals wondered how it might affect the herd. Tim Foster, an attorney from South Park, opposed the development, which was eventually denied, and found a hidden treasure in the meantime.
Foster visited the Game Preserve with his wife Diane and twins Tianna and Axton and talked with the county worker who oversees the buffalo, aptly nicknamed “Buffalo Bob” Kuzma. “We are animal people,” Foster said. And when Kuzma invited them to see the buffalo, they instantly fell in love.
Foster and his family wanted to put the legendary animals back on the community’s radar again so they could be appreciated for their uniqueness. To that end, they started a Facebook page.
Foster is the pen behind “The Friends of the South Park Buffalo Preserve” page, which started in March. From the mundane to the humorous and the tragic, he has given the public a window into the lives of the largest North American mammals.
“We wanted to put these guys on the map, and the Facebook page has just exploded,” said Foster.
Foster and his family secured donations from local grocery stores of fruits and vegetables; yes, those giant animals are actually vegetarians. “At first, Big Head and the rest of the crew were a little bit shy. Now they are getting more used to the crowds. They love people of all ages,” said Foster. He orchestrated the public feedings allowing people to get a close-up look at the herd. Feedings are done through openings in the fences that are otherwise locked.
Eleven-year-old “Big Head,” named by Buffalo Bob, is the dominant male in the herd. The Fosters named the other members of the herd. Daisy, the dominant female, Rosie, baby Diane, Alice, Mr. Wilson, Lily, Violet, Crimson, Clover and the now infamous “Blue.”
A post from May about Big Head: “It’s amazing how gently he can take a strawberry from your fingers. He’ll happily let you feed him apple after apple but shake his head when you try to slip him a red potato. A very discriminating palate for a 2,000 lb vegetarian!”
As their popularity grew, especially after Baby Diane was born on April 4, people became disappointed when arriving at the preserve to find the buffalo were in the “other” field. There are two fields, now with names. “Crazy enough, we are the ones that named the fields because everyone would refer to the fields as the ‘upper field’ or ‘lower field,’ or the ‘other field.’ People would arrive and be unable to find the buffalo and send a Facebook message saying, ‘I’m here, where are they?'” Foster’s daughter Tianna made a map and outlines of the fields and put them on the Friends page. Signs are now posted as well to help visitors locate the “Corrigan Field” off Corrigan Drive and the upper field “Sesqui Field.” At Sesqui, you can often walk along the fence line to find the buffalo grazing. Sometimes, however, they are out of view.
On Tuesday and Friday mornings at 9:30 a.m., the Fosters are at the preserve for public feedings and put out a “salad bar” spread of watermelon, strawberries, apples, lettuce and more. There is a “pecking order” to eating, he explains. The herd leaders are first, Big Head and Daisy, and then the younger buffalo. Typically, the herd receives corn and “chop” to eat, a fortified multigrain product with vitamins.
One of Mrs. Foster’s favorite moments was a little boy “sharing” his banana with one of the buffalo, taking a bite himself while waiting for the buffalo to take his. The Fosters have welcomed numerous groups on field trips. One that sticks with him is a middle school group from Ringgold. He was thrilled to see the kids being respectful of the buffalo as much as he was watching the buffalo being patient as the kids got the hang of feeding them.
Foster describes Big Head as being calm with a loving demeanor “that sets the tone for the herd.” But make no mistake, he is the leader, and one look from him puts the others in their places. Big Head is a direct descendant of the original buffalo brought to the area by a county commissioner in 1927 as a way to prevent extinction. North Park also received several buffalo, but their herd was later divided and sent to other facilities. Big Head was bullied by other males in the herd when Buffalo Bob arrived as caretaker some 10 years ago. Big Head was actually wounded in a confrontation with another buffalo, and it was Kuzma who found the wound and provided medical treatment. The two have had a bond ever since, said Foster. Kuzma keeps only one male in the preserve to keep the herd peaceful. Mr. Wilson and Dennis will join other federally protected herds in the fall.
This spring, the public waited eagerly for the birth of the new baby buffalo to moms Rosie and Lily. Rosie’s baby, Diane, born April 4, was named for Foster’s wife, who noticed the day that Rosie went off to be by herself and sounded the alert that the baby might be on its way. First-time mom Lily had a rough birth with Blue causing Kuzma to step in and help deliver the baby buffalo.
Foster has filmed Blue’s life from the moment of his birth. As he grew stronger each day, it was clear he had an adventurous personality. Foster narrated the herd’s movements, highlighting Blue’s antics: taking a dip in the water trough, finding hiding places in the tall grass or the “squeeze pen,” Mom Lily would check all of his hiding places, grunting for him to join the herd. Buffalo Bob sometimes had to help find Blue and coax him back to the herd. Big Head would have a “talk” with Blue and then lick his head.
Facebook post from May 28: “Baby Diane and Baby Boy Blue did have a long meeting at their favorite spot, the water trough. They were there for a while until Mom Rosie grunted loudly to call Diane. She quickly joined mom. A louder grunt came a bit later from Lily, and ole Blue started his customary slow walk to join her.”
Baby Blue was a memorable character whose antics of hiding were highlighted daily during his short life. On June 6, the little buffalo with a huge personality passed away. He was beloved by many, and the community was deeply saddened.
That evening Foster posted: “Today we suffered an unspeakable and tragic loss in our Buffalo family. I’m writing this with tear-filled eyes and a heavy heart after just returning home from the preserve. Our sweet, beloved, precious Baby Boy Blue, passed away this afternoon. He was accidentally stepped on and quickly passed from his injuries. May our Baby Boy Blue live in our hearts and memories forever. He was truly a special gift that brought the community together, made us laugh and made us smile.”
He went on to explain, “This type of accident is an unfortunate reality with Buffalo or their cattle relatives.”
What happened next amazed Foster, his family and the onlookers who gathered that day after hearing the news. For nearly two hours that evening, the buffalo gathered where Blue passed, taking turns going to the spot where he died, sniffing the area. His mother, Lily, would return to the site several times and grunt for her baby. Foster called the beautiful and moving ritual a “buffalo wake.” When the buffalo headed up the hill for the night, Lily stayed back, stopping at each of Blue’s hiding places to call for him. Not finding him, she slowly made her way up the hill only to turn back and call for him again.
After a few rough days, Foster said the herd began to return to normal, looking for their salad bar treats and enjoying the attention. But Blue will never be forgotten, and Foster said he plans to memorialize Blue in some way in the future. A blue wreath made by Foster’s daughter marks the spot of Blue’s passing.
Life continues in the herd, and at this time, there is a countdown for two new babies to be born to Daisy and Violet. The gestation period is nine months, and both are close to term.
The public feedings occur on Tuesdays and Fridays at 9:30 a.m. School groups and other groups can prearrange visits by messaging the Friends of the South Park Buffalo Facebook page.
Foster and his family don’t want accolades, those go to Kuzma, who has been an exemplary caretaker all these years. “We just wanted to make the buffalo more ‘personable’ through public feeding and with school field trips,” Foster said. “We want to help the public understand them better.”
Follow Friends of the South Park Buffalo Preserve and watch for more insights into the lives of these resilient, native mammals. Foster has a wealth of information on the page about the arrival of the buffalo in both South and North parks, along with additional historical information, news articles and, of course, pictures of the buffalo.