Ah, bison: Those majestic creatures that evolved for eons to roam the plains, grow Kurt Russellesque manes of hair and at the end of the year joyously romp with (and nibble on) our surplus Christmas trees.
The bison in Golden Gate Park always have a tree-mendous time with Christmas tree enrichment! They love to throw the trees in the air with their horns and rub and scratch on fallen tree trunks 🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲 pic.twitter.com/zzpai5FxzX
— San Francisco Zoo (@sfzoo) December 24, 2022
Or so it goes with the herd living in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. This year, the local bison were gifted the present of holiday pines, which they tossed around like orcas toying with their prey. Wrote the San Francisco Zoo on Twitter:
“The bison in Golden Gate Park always have a tree-mendous time with Christmas tree enrichment! They love to throw the trees in the air with their horns and rub and scratch on fallen tree trunks…. I mean, who doesn’t love to smell all of the Christmas tree smells?”
(To which one person sarcastically commented, “Practicing for when the next dumb sightseer gets too close.”)
“This video was taken around Christmastime with trees that were donated by one of the tree farms that we get our trees from,” says Nancy Chan, the zoo’s director of communications. “We do not accept the public’s leftover trees as we cannot guarantee they are free from sprays and other toxins.”
She adds: “Enrichment is basically any type of stimulation or something new for the animals to engage with or in some cases, eat.”
Wait, the bison eat the trees? “The bison will sometimes eat the trees, but mostly throw them up in the air and rub on them,” Chan says.
Bison have occupied Golden Gate Park since the 1890s, a time when they were nearly extinct in America. They were among a number of larger species to live there, including elk, sheep and bears. Learn more about their history in the city and how to visit them at the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department.
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