Baby bison born at South Park Game Preserve

The herd at the South Park Game Preserve got a little bigger this week after a calf was born. 

Friends of the South Park Buffalo Preserve announced the birth of Denali on Wednesday. She was born to mom Rosie, who the group said they've been watching closely the past few weeks. 

The group said Denali was a little shaky at first but quickly found her footing, nursing before going over to meet her big brother Diane. The South Park Buffalo Preserve described Rosie, who is also mom to Alice, Diane and Elu, as calm, strong and protective. It's the herd's first baby of the year.

The history of bison in Allegheny County 

Allegheny County says bison have been living in South Park since 1927. 

The county purchased 30 bison from General Harry C. Trexler's farm near Allentown, and Trexler donated six more. The first 18 were paraded through Downtown Pittsburgh on Dec. 9, 1927, led by a large brass band that played for thousands of spectators. Later that month, the other 28 arrived. In 2001, county council passed a motion requesting that the bison stay in South Park forever. 

The names bison and buffalo are used interchangeably in North America, though bison are only distant relatives of buffaloes, which are found on other continents. It's estimated 60 million bison once roamed North America, but they were nearly driven to extinction in the 1800s, and by 1889, there were only a few hundred wild bison remained.

Since then, there have been nationwide efforts to restore the bison population. Allegheny County said South Park intentionally keeps its herd small, and sometimes individual bison are traded with zoos and wildlife preserves to keep the herd genetics healthy and diverse.