In addition to the 150-foot Ferris wheel we have to look forward to as part of the sesquicentennial celebration of Golden Gate Park next month, Rec and Parks will also be officially introducing five new bison yearlings, doubling the size of the local herd.

The adorable baby bison are already here, as you can see in the photo below, but apparently their official unveiling won't be happening until April 4, which is Community Day and the official kickoff of the park's 150th birthday year.

Golden Gate Park welcomes 5 new bison! We are doubling the size of the herd with five yearlings, just in time for SF Rec and Sesquicentennial Celebration. On April 4, Community Day, the bison will be introduced to the public. Join us for this special occasion. #GGP150 pic.twitter.com/OcF7qMTBst — SF Rec and Park (@RecParkSF) March 3, 2020

The Golden Gate Park Buffalo Paddock has existed since the 1890s, and these days serves "as a remembrance of the illustrious Wild West," as Rec and Parks says. It began with just two buffalo 130ish years back, and over the years the paddock next to Spreckels Lake has been home to various small herds doing their thing.

There have lately been five American bison in the small field, and according to some dated copy which may or may not still hold true, "The bison you see today at the paddock are actually descendants of 1984 birthday presents given to the mayor, Dianne Feinstein by her husband."

More than 100 calves have been bred through a captive breeding program in Golden Gate Park, helping to revive the once decimated population of the species in North America. Including the ten we now have, Rec and Parks says the total North American bison population is now around 200,000 — though Wikipedia has a far lower number, putting the population around 31,000, down from a high of around 60 million in the late 18th century.