Game Preserve

The South Park Game Preserve is home to a variety of wildlife that visit the pond, several domesticated birds and even peacocks, and the historic bison herd! The Game Preserve is free and open to the public. 

Visit the bison any time during the Game Preserve’s hours of operation, 7:00 am - dusk. If they are not in view at the barn, take a walk along the fence that surrounds their many acres of protected habitat.

Feeding, harassing, or touching any of the animals is prohibited. Pets, including horses, are not permitted near the game preserve.

On Tuesday and Friday mornings at 9:30 am, the bison caretaker hosts a public feeding and provides information about these amazing animals!

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About the American Bison

The American bison is the largest land animal in North America. While bison are only distant relatives of buffaloes, which are found on other continents, within North America the name bison and buffalo are used interchangeably to refer to the animals found here. Bison are herd animals known for their large heads, shoulder humps, thick brown fur, and distinct horns. Bison can gallop at speeds up to 30 mph and can leap up to 6 feet high. Wild bison are grazing herbivores who mostly eat grasses. At the South Park Game Preserve, the bison caretaker ensures a healthy and balanced diet for the herd by providing corn and vitamin supplements on a regular basis.  

Over 60 million bison once roamed North America, and were relied upon by many indigenous cultures for sustenance, shelter, and cultural and religious practices. In the 1800s, bison were nearly driven to extinction through uncontrolled hunting and a U.S. policy of eradication tied to intentional harm against and control of Tribes. By 1889, only a few hundred wild bison remained. This contributed to decline of healthy grassland ecosystems and, eventually, to the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. The loss of the keystone species, coupled with land conversion, led to declines of other important grassland wildlife, such as migratory birds and pollinators.

Since the early 20^th century, there have been nationwide efforts to restore the bison population. In South Park, the herd is intentionally kept small, with some calves being born each spring. This captive herd is provided with veterinary care and is inspected by the USDA to ensure they will be around for future generations. Individual bison are sometimes traded with zoos and wildlife preserves to keep the herd genetics healthy and diverse.

On May 9, 2016, bison were designated the National Mammal of the United States.

Timeline of Bison in the Allegheny County Parks

1927	June 18 - North Park and South Park are formally dedicated. July 23 - County Commissioners E.V. Babcock and Joseph G. Armstrong return from “tramping over hundreds of acres to rout bison so we could look them over” at General Harry C. Trexler’s farm near Allentown, PA. It was agreed that the county would purchase 30 of the bison, and General Trexler would donate six bison for the county parks. August 22 - Locations are selected for the game preserves, totaling about 200 acres to be enclosed by eight-foot wire fencing. In North Park the game preserve would occupy the area around what is now known as Flagstaff Hill. The South Park preserve today occupies a portion of the same land originally enclosed for these first bison. December 5 - Fifteen large trucks, along with two passenger cars and a fuel tank truck, left Pittsburgh to pick up the initial 36 bison headed for the Allegheny County Parks. December 9 - The caravan of bison paraded through downtown Pittsburgh, headed by a large brass band for thousands of spectators, before going to North Park where the first 18 bison were released. December 21 - The second shipment of 18 bison arrive in Pittsburgh and were driven past the courthouse before being taken to South Park.
1937	According to the Annual Parks Department Report "Expert authorities…assured the department that Allegheny County has the finest specimens of buffalo and deer east of the Rockies."
1940	January 19 - Bison roamed free within South Park after breaking through their fence. This was one of many times the bison have escaped.
1947	April - The three remaining bison were moved from North Park to South Park.
1987	May 21 - A bison escapes the enclosure at 9:30 pm and is returned at about midnight. The same bison keeps the park staff awake by escaping again twice the next morning, at 4:00 am and 8:00 am. The fence is reinforced.
2001	August 23 - County Council passes a motion requesting that the bison stay in South Park forever.