2 buffaloes born at Allegheny County's South Park preserve

SOUTH PARK, Pa. (KDKA) -- Two buffaloes were born at Allegheny County's South Park within days of each other.

The two babies were born on Friday and Sunday at the South Park Game Preserve. The county shared photos of the new arrivals on social media.

The county says the buffalo, which are technically bison, have been roaming South Park for over 100 years. Bison are distant relatives of buffaloes, which are found on other continents, but within North America, they're called both buffalo and bison. 

The American bison is the largest land animal in North America, the county says on its website. Tens of millions of bison once roamed the continent and were hunted to near extinction. Since the early 20th century, there has been a nationwide effort to restore the bison population.

The county says it keeps its herd to roughly nine to 11 bison, with some calves born in the spring. 

"When they're young, we just need to monitor them closely to make sure they stay healthy. They've had their vitamin shots and so forth from the vet. So far they seem to be healthy, they're milking, they're running with their mother, things appear to be good," said Allegheny County Parks Director Andrew Baechle.

The county named the buffaloes Riis, after the founder of the Allegheny County Parks system, and Roddey, after Jim Roddey, the first Allegheny County executive who recently died. 

The Friends of the South Park Buffalo Preserve, which raises awareness about the buffalo, named the calves Takoda and Elu, and on social media, they said they're sticking with those Native American names.

The herd is given veterinary care and is inspected by the USDA to ensure they'll be around for future generations. Sometimes South Park's bison are traded with zoos and wildlife preserves to keep the genetics of the herd diverse, the county says. 

"Education I think helps by knowing how important they are and then we can continue to keep the breed going, back when we got them in the 20s, there wasn't a lot of them, but then they've really come back some since," Baechle said. 

The herd right now has nine adults -- two males and seven females, one of which may still be pregnant, meaning a third baby bison could be on the way. 

Visitors can see the buffalo every day for free at the South Park Game Preserve, and there are public feedings on Tuesdays and Fridays at 9:30 a.m. 

"This is your public park, we're open every day of the year free of charge. Come and see them, come to the game preserve, come check out our new bison," Baechle said.