Video: New Baby Bison Arrive at Golden Gate Park

There’s nothing that warms a blogger’s heart like a cute animal video couched as a vaguely legitimate news story. First spotted on The Richmond District Blog of San Francisco: New baby bison in Golden Gate Park.

From SF Rec & Parks yesterday:

Seven young female bison have just joined the herd at the popular Bison Paddock in Golden Gate Park. While they get accustomed to their new surroundings over the next few months, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, in partnership with the San Francisco Zoo, is sponsoring a naming contest for one of our new friends.

Video:

To shuffle off your buffalo name proposal for the contest:

Send us an email, visit us on Facebook, or Tweet us with your entry by January 13, 2012.

Email rpdinfo@sfgov.org
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Entries can also be mailed to:

Golden Gate Park Bison Naming Contest
San Francisco Recreation and Park Department
501 Stanyan Street
San Francisco, CA 94117

One of the five bison already residing in the park was euthanized in July after an illness. More on Golden Gate Park’s Buffalo Paddock here, including a little history:

In the past, an assortment of animals, including bears, goats, and elk, roamed about a free-range environment. Small herds of bison also called Golden Gate Park their home. In 1890, a distinct bison cow and one bison bull were transported from the rolling Great Plains to the urban paradise of the Golden Gate Park. Hailing from parts of Wyoming and Kansas, the cow was named Sarah Bernhardt, while the bull was called Ben Harrison. The Park Commission beamed with pride as such possessions roamed about their land.

At first, the bison were positioned east of where the new Academy of Sciences… As time passed, some bison were transported to where they can be found today during 1899. Over the years, more and more bison residents began to find their way to the Golden Gate Park Buffalo Paddock, including three from the Yellowstone National Park in 1905. Before you knew it, the herd showcased 30 bison in 1918.