Did you know that our local park, South Park, is home to over a dozen American bison?

South Park welcomed a new furry friend into the family herd.

A baby buffalo was recently born at the Nature Preserve Center in South Park just a few weeks ago and is already taking the spotlight. The newborn has brought in sightseers, adventure takers, horseback riders, dog walkers, experienced runners, animal lovers, and fresh-air wanderers, both inside and outside of the community. All eyes are on you, baby buffalo!

The newborn calve was seen running in circles around his mama until his little legs gave out and he toppled over. This lively and curious calve was having a blast rolling on the fresh green grass and fallen leaves as the sun was beaming down on him. You can say the sun was shining just on him and his glory.

The calve’s fur is a distinct color of reddish-brown and will be that same reddish-brown for the next few months. As a calve matures, his or her fur will turn into a darker brown-black color through time.

In the 1940s, South Park housed 32 buffalo within its nature preserve’s safe environment fields. When the Park was first being formed, the number of the buffalo herds were extremely high for where the amount is today. Up-to-date, there are more than a dozen buffalo that roam freely within the family-friendly preserve.

For 86 years, South Park has cared for over a hundred buffalo as part of their wildlife preservation organization. The community serves as a safe-haven for the animals to roam and for the people to both admire their beauty and gain some basic knowledge about America’s local Native American history. Throughout the Park’s history, it has acted as a unique and easily accessible way to bring the community together and appreciate our local ecosystems in full view.

In addition to the Park’s uniqueness, the Park’s functions and morals are extremely rare. Yes, there are other buffalo farms within the Pennsylvania region, but none that are nonprofit and act as a safe home for them to roam. Other farms and ranches use the buffalo for their meat and they are bred for profit. The South Park Nature Preserve is the complete opposite and is 100% for the animals, not for money.

Not only can one see the newborn buffalo today or tomorrow, but forever… literally. In 2001, 800 people came together to sign a petition to make sure that South Park kept its American and community tradition of the buffalo fields. The South Park Historical Society organized the signatures and the Allegheny County Council approved it. It’s truly evident that if people come together to support a common cause, anything can be achieved.

Anyone is able to see the buffalo and use the Park’s features from dawn to dusk with the Park being wheel chair accessible in and at all of its locations.

Make sure to visit the newborn baby buffalo along with the other buffalo and other preserved wild animals near the black and gold playground in South Park, Pennsylvania. It is a great opportunity to become more educated about the buffalo and to support our local Park!