Joyce Stewart of Bethel Park has visited her favorite furry mammal for more than 70 years in South Park.
Meet the gang of nine bison that provide a unique attraction in the South Park Game Preserve — Big Head, Daisy, Rosie, Violet, Lily, Alice, Crimson, Clover and Baby Diane.
Technically, they’re bison, but most visitors call them buffalo, and herds have called South Park in Allegheny County home since 1927.
The mammals, ranging in age from 9 months to 11 years, reside full time at the park, cared for and managed by the Allegheny County Parks Department.
The first herd was established when Allegheny County commissioners bought 36 bison from the Harry C. Drexler farm in Schnecksville, Lehigh County.
For Stewart, being able to visit the herd as a senior citizen is a joy she never imagined.
“I was a little girl, and I can’t believe there are still buffalo here. I can’t wait to bring my granddaughter here,” Stewart said while watching the bison munch away during an hourlong feeding session in late January hosted by Facebook page volunteers, Friends of the South Buffalo Preserve.
Stewart attended a recent public Fruit and Veggie Buffalo Feeding event, held from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays and Fridays.
About 100 pounds of veggies and fruit are washed, chopped and distributed by volunteers working with county employees to provide fresh foods as a supplement to the bisons’ regular diet of corn and grains.
The feedings are free, and everyone is welcome.
Stewart, 78, recalled visiting the bison with her family when she was a youngster.
“It was me, my mom and dad, and we just stood and watched them. I like to see them whenever they run. That’s exciting,” Stewart said.
Dedicated to helping the herd not only survive, but thrive, is the Foster family of South Park.
The Fosters moved from Chicago to South Park three years ago and live only two minutes away from the herd.
They visit almost daily.
Timothy and Diane Foster co-founded the Facebook page Friends of the South Park Buffalo Preserve to educate, promote, advocate and provide daily updates on the herd.
“We’ve become the eyes and ears and the voice of the buffalo,” Timothy Foster said.
With more than 4,000 Facebook members, the Fosters are on a mission to do all that they can to help the bison herd be as healthy and happy as possible.
Their twin son and daughter Axton and Tianna, 15, help with bison duties.
“This is fun — to take care of these beautiful animals. The fruits and veggies help them thrive,” Axton said.
Tianna handles photography duties and provides content for their social media page.
Avid buffalo supporter Alice Lawson of Castle Shannon has been visiting her bison buddies for more than 40 years.
Dressed in bison-themed earrings and a necklace, Lawson pointed out a turkey in the background while attending the public bison feeding.
Lawson and her husband, David, have frequented a nearby grove for dates, lunches and to watch the bison.
“I wanted to adopt and join in with what the Fosters were doing on Facebook,” Lawson said. “I don’t have any babies, and the herd are my babies. I visit every day in the summer. I like to come out here when nobody is here. It’s zero judgment, and I honestly think they stop and listen sometimes. I think they know voices.”
Big Head, the lead male bison and a commanding 2,500 pounds, keeps a watchful eye on the herd.
He’s named after his sizeable head, not his attitude.
Bison Alice was named after Lawson.
“She’s my namesake and my favorite. I think Big Head is so chill and the herd is managed so well now. Big Head has a really calm demeanor and sets a good tone,” Lawson said.
The hand-feeding that once occurred between the public and the bison has stopped out of an abundance of caution.
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New metal fencing separates the public from the bison, but visitors are encouraged to ask questions of head caretaker Bob Kuzma.
Watching the bison eat, the crowd often comments about how calm and docile the bison behave while taking turns munching on broccoli, apples, potatoes and more.
Big Head loves the strawberries best, and the grapes, apples and pears are a big draw.
“We got involved to help get these amazing and historically important animals back on the map. Our Facebook page and number of followers has aided us in getting the county to make much-needed improvements,” Timothy Foster said.
The bison have new heated watering troughs and 12 newly planted trees in Corrigan Field, and, last year, the park reopened Sesqui Drive (previously closed during the winter) to vehicle traffic so visitors could view the herd from the road.
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The Fosters said their family bison activities provide an educational and emotional bonding experience for her family.
“My favorite is Baby Diana, named after me,” Diane Foster said.
The game preserve has shrunk from its original 200 acres to about 11 acres.
In South Park, the herd is kept to nine to 11 bison, with some calves born each spring. Currently, the herd has seven females and two males, Baby Diane and Big Head.
The herd has access to a barn and shares its habitat with peacocks and other wildlife that visit the pond.
The Fosters explained Baby Diane turned out to be a male, but his girly name is staying.
In captivity, a bison can expect to live more than 30 years.
Big Head is 11, the oldest and a crowd fave.
The herd receives routine veterinary visits on-site and is inspected by the USDA.
Sometimes, individual bison are traded with zoos and wildlife preserves to maintain diverse and healthy herd genetics.
In 2001, Allegheny County Council passed a motion requesting that the bison remain in South Park indefinitely.
Allegheny County Regional Park maintenance supervisor Stephen Zvolensky has worked around the bison since the 1980s. He said he still gets a surprised reaction from folks when he tells them about the herd.
“They’re shocked, and I tell them, ‘Come on down and bring the kids and meet them,’ ” Zvolensky said.
Zvolensky said it’s especially entertaining to watch the bison run at full speed and leap into the air, “like they’re playing.”
“Even Big Head can do that sometimes,” he said.
County employees got creative repurposing discarded sweeper brushes and made a custom bison back-scratcher of sorts.
“We installed makeshift scratch posts out of old basketball posts, cemented them into the ground and put old used sweeper brushes on them. Those bristles are so thick, and they love to use them,” Zvolensky said.
The preserve is open daily from 7 a.m to dusk.
Visitors are invited to walk along the fence that surrounds the protected bison habitat.
“It’s a huge attraction. I think it’s fabulous, and I love it being around the buffalo,” Zvolensky said.
Joyce Hanz is a TribLive reporter covering the Alle-Kiski Valley. A native of Charleston, S.C., she graduated from the University of South Carolina. She can be reached at jhanz@triblive.com
South Park Buffalo Preserve
Where: Sesqui Drive between Corrigan Drive and McConkey Road, South Park
Cost: Free
Details: alleghenycounty.us
Public feedings: 9:30-10:30 a.m., Tuesdays and Fridays
Find on Facebook: Friends of the South Park Buffalo Preserve