Drive through the historic Los Angeles County district of Newhall, and you likely won’t notice the herd of bison that makes its home in the area. Even if you pull into Hart Park, the Santa Clarita park where the animals make their home, you likely won’t spot them without making it a point to stop and look. Despite living in a city of more than 200,000, the bison act like any other suburbanites, quietly going about their unassuming, under-the-radar days.
That’s by design. The park’s founder, William S. Hart, and even Walt Disney himself, would have wanted it that way.
“Our animals all live really long lives because they just love living here,” Rachael Komulainen, an animal care specialist who’s been taking care of the herd for 13 years, told SFGATE via phone. “It’s just such a great environment. As natural as you can get in captivity, really.”…