So yea, I've had enough of the dried brown landscape at the Bison Paddock.
In yet another attempt to help the Bison get some greenery to graze on, I have started a Petition directed at the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, Parks Manager Phil Ginsburg, and Park Commission President Mark Buell. While this may not bring about the change it should, it is another forum to bring awareness to this negligence.
It is aimed at these entities as the Rec and Park is responsible for the enclosure, while the Zoo takes care of the Bison.
Over the last fourteen years I've been involved with monitoring the Zoo, the Rec and Park has never taken their management position in regard to the Zoo seriously, they just don't care and nothing is more evident in their lack of caring for Animals than the complete negligence in their upkeep over the last many years of the Meadow where our grazing herd of Bison live.
This blog post is an informational supplement to the Petition. Please visit the Petition site to sign and share. Thank you.
link updated 1.11.24 ...
I have been complaining for at least the last couple years about the condition of the landscape of the meadows at the Bison Paddock in Golden Gate Park. The vegetation in both the main and back meadow have been dried out and brown for most of the last many years. The only exception was in 2020 when the Park was readying for their 150th Celebration, which was pretty much foiled with the pandemic. The City added five babies to the herd in April of that year, and you can see from this photo, the landscape was lush and green at that time.
I had never thought about how the meadow got hydrated, until it became consistently dried up. I asked a Keeper two years ago if there was a sprinkler system, they said they had never seen one on. A few months later, saw one on one day. ONE DAY! Now, only recently after I had written yet another post about this, did I see sprinklers again. That to was only the one day, yet I saw one outside the paddock watering the same tree, two days that week.
It's been two years now that I have written about this situation, posted videos I've taken to my YouTube, and Tweeted it all and my displeasure to the Rec and Park. Nothing changed in all that time. The landscape has remained consistently dry the whole time. This year has been the worst, as our normal rain in April-May, never happened, so there has been near no hydration to the grounds at all.
Bison are grazing Animals. Per a recent Oakland Zoo Facebook Live with their Bison Herd. In it the Keeper noted, "They have over fifteen acres of habitat to naturally graze on. So when you look out you'll see there's lot of grass out here and that's really important because they are natural grazers. So, they'd spend about nine hrs of their day out in the wild foraging and grazing, so we wanted to replicate that here at the Oakland Zoo and that's why you see so much grass and so much land, cause they do actually need all that."
Yet this is what our poor ladies are grazing on... I took this video the other day. Picked up the wind more than I realized, but you can see the one lady looking for something to graze on. As well seems the Keepers are also leaving bowls of grain in the meadow to supplement their diet.
The San Francisco Recreation and Park is well aware of all this, and apparently they just don't care.
If they did, the Bison Paddock would be lush and green like the rest of the Park, which they make sure is green at all times. The other day I took this photo of Lindley Meadow just up the road from the Bison.
As a Richmond District Native, and lifelong Resident, the Park has been my backyard for 58 years. I have never not known Bison. In the 80's I was lucky to meet many calves that were born at the Paddock. The last ones. So, I have been endeared to these Beings forever. Seeing them in this situation is very upsetting.
Again, please consider signing and sharing my Petition.
Additionally you can contact the Rec and Park Commission
Thank you.
For more about this disgrace, you can search "bison" in the upper left corner of this blog.
Related posts and updates...
Mon 6.27.22
https://iamnotananteater.blogspot.com/2022/06/update-city-official-contacted-me.html
Wed 6.29.22
https://iamnotananteater.blogspot.com/2022/06/park-sprinklers-flood-path-not-drop-for.html
Thurs 6.30.22
http://iamnotananteater.blogspot.com/2022/06/rec-and-park-responds-puts.html?m=1
Sun 7.3.22
http://iamnotananteater.blogspot.com/2022/07/and-furthermore-another-reponse-from.html?m=1
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"Personal Opinions and Facts presented publicly are Not against the law or any rules. ... Censorship and Retaliation Actions in an attempt at Suppression are frowned upon by Healthy Societies."
For Full Statement see this post:
https://iamnotananteater.blogspot.com/2018/09/my-zoo-status.html
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Just signed petition! Very importance necessary.
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