Dec 24, 2009: Frisco Bison

[xoxoxoBruce]

Yes, San Francisco has an urban bison herd in Golden gate Park.

The first bison, named Ben Harrison, was purchased by Park Superintendent John McClaren on February 26, 1891...
A female mate by the name of Sarah Bernhardt soon followed, and the two bison began one of the longest-running efforts to breed bison in captivity. Over the last 120 years, more than 500 bison have been born from the Golden Gate herd...

That haircut's kind of gay, but it is Frisco after all.

If the animals' names, Ben Harrison and Sarah Bernhardt, seem strangely delicate for the hulking beasts, the tradition of the time dictated that the bison receive the monikers of their political contemporaries. The original herd included superstars such as Grover Cleveland, Bill McKinley, and Bill Bunker.

Strange, but sure, why not.

Recent years have brought changes to the bison's naming practices. Throughout the mid-twentieth century, the animals had borne royal Shakespearean handles.

Also strange, but it really goes down hill from there.

As of 1993, the bison have been reclaimed and renamed with Native American names bestowed by the "Watchbison Committee," a Native American Advisory Committee, and one of their current caretakers, the San Francisco Zoological Society.

Yes, we must be politically correct in Frisco.

btw, they hate it when you call it Frisco.

At the link, you can read about Mayor Dianne Feinstein's foibles.