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| Our gals in the park, 2017. |
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| Bison skulls to be ground into fertilizer. |
Yes, there are bison in Golden Gate Park, but why? In the 1890s, the buffalo were brought to San Francisco's Golden Gate Park for captive breeding purposes. By the 1880s, wild bison were nearly extinct as they had been hunted for hides, meat and export purposes. It was estimated that the number of bison had dwindled to approximately 1000 by 1889. The captive breeding program at Golden Gate Park helped to boost their numbers. Over the ensuing decades, various conservation efforts have brought the North American bison population back into the hundreds of thousands. The breeding program at Golden Gate Park ended some decades ago, and the current bison residing at the paddock are all female. I'm told that they're a calm bunch, but I'm glad to visit them with a fence separating us.
Here's a picture of the park bison grazing with deer 'al fresco' in 1944. -wonder if my Dad or Uncle remembers visiting them?
Here's a picture of the park bison grazing with deer 'al fresco' in 1944. -wonder if my Dad or Uncle remembers visiting them?
It is lovely to hear a conservation success story. They are increasingly rare.
ReplyDeleteYes. Ironically, the uptick in bison as a food source aided in their being protected as well.
DeleteThey're still there? Wow.
ReplyDeleteYep! The current herd is related to bison that had been brought into the paddock back in '11, if I'm not mistaken.
DeleteI think they have bison roaming free on Catalina Island. I last went about 20 years ago but they seemed peaceful enough - though I took care not to get too close!
ReplyDeleteWow! I'd love to visit. I was just talking about Catalina Island with someone whose grandmother lived there many moons ago. x
DeleteWell, thats awesome. We have a few here, in a few zoo like areas.
ReplyDeleteDo you? So cool. :) I hope you're well, D. x
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