Video: Five 1-year-old bison are Golden Gate Park's newest residents - Los Angeles Times
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Video: Five 1-year-old bison are Golden Gate Park’s newest residents

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San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park recently got some new residents — five 1-year-old female bison.

The youngsters arrived at the tail end of February from the Northern California ranch where they were born. San Francisco officials will introduce the animals, whose names have not been announced, during the park’s 150th anniversary celebration in April.

It’s the first time in eight years that new bison have been added to Bison Paddock, a meadow just west of Spreckels Lake along John F. Kennedy Drive. The additions bring the total number of bison in the park’s herd to 10 females, according to a news release.

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The five yearlings galloped out of their trailer and headed toward a chain-link fence separating them from their new family, whose names are Betsy, Bailey, Bellatrix, Buttercup and Bambi. The new additions will be kept in their own pasture for 30 days to become acclimated to their surroundings.

“We are delighted to welcome these beautiful youngsters to their new home and to introduce them to the public on the park’s 150th anniversary April 4,” Phil Ginsburg, general manager of the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, said in a statement. “Bison have been part of Golden Gate Park for more than a century, and these five new residents connect us to our storied past and represent our exciting future.”

According to a news release, the animals were purchased through a $50,000 donation to the San Francisco Zoological Society by Richard Blum, an investment banker and husband of California Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-San Francisco).

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