South Park Game Preserve welcomes third baby bison of 2026

The South Park Game Preserve has welcomed its third baby bison of 2026.

The Friends of the South Park Buffalo Preserve Facebook group announced on Sunday that 5-year-old Crimson, daughter of Violet, has become a first-time mom to a baby named Nova.

The baby bison's name was inspired by a sight captured by those who watch after the animals. 

During Friday's public feeding, a butterfly landed on one of the group members, whose mother had recently died. 

After searching for a name for the new baby, the group said they settled on Nova, a name associated with the Hopi, meaning "chasing butterflies."

"Sometimes life has a way of placing little signs in front of us exactly when we need them most," the Facebook post read. "Today, as we celebrate one life so beautifully lived and another just beginning, the name couldn't feel more perfect."

Three generations of bison

Just last month, the group said that there are now three generations of bison in South Park after another calf was born. The calf born in May to Alice also made fellow bison Rosie a grandma.

"Rosie has now seen four of her offspring (Alice, Diane, Elu, and Denali) grow within the Preserve family, and now that family line stretches beautifully into the next generation. That is something truly special," the group wrote on Facebook.

The calf, named Jacobi, joined Denali, who was born in March.