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d3500ram's avatar
d3500ram
Explorer III
May 15, 2016

Going to Yellowstone? Don't do this...

I do not know what to think other than misguided animal rights activists perhaps.

2 Yellowstone visitors reportedly take bison calf for a ride in SUV


Two tourists took a bison calf for a ride in an SUV this week during a visit to Yellowstone National Park, EastIdahoeNews.com reports.

Park rangers ticketed the pair, a man and his son who were visiting from another country, after they pulled up to a ranger station Monday with the animal in the vehicle, according to the news website. They apparently thought the calf was cold.

“They were demanding to speak with a ranger,” Karen Richardson told the news website. “They were seriously worried that the calf was freezing and dying.”

Richardson, of Victor, Idaho, was on a field trip with a group of fifth-graders and other parents.

She snapped a photo of the animal in the SUV and posted it on Facebook, EastIdahoNews.com reported.

“Dear tourists: the bison calf is not cold and it is not lost. PUT IT BACK,” her post said.

Another parent on the field trip with Richardson, Rob Heusevelt, told EastIdahoNews.com it didn't faze the duo they were breaking the law. Yellowstone visitors aren’t supposed to approach wildlife or get too close to large animals.

“They didn’t care,” Heusevelt told the website. “They sincerely thought they were doing a service and helping that calf by trying to save it from the cold.”

He said the bison calf was driven back to where it was found and released.

Last month, a Yellowstone visitor approached a bison lounging on the grass and reached out to pet the giant animal, a scene caught on video.

"She's totally antagonizing it. Where are the rangers?" a shocked witness is heard saying in the video.
  • Wonder how many posts it'll take before someone says YCFS
  • I'm surprised the thing didn't puke and poop in there SUV. Had to scare the **** out of it.
  • Interesting take on that, Mike. I live in an area where tourist will often visit. You may be right in that a majority of folks have no clue.

    I am enjoying the view right now from my deck of a mama moose and her calf nibbling the budding willows. When I relate tales like this to out-of-towners they ask/ insulate about how close I get to them. I also relate about the black bear in the area. I am not too concerned about one species compered to the other between these two. Most will think opposite of the one I give more respect to.

    As far as ticketing, I have not been to Yellowstone in years, but I am sure that there are plenty of signs about how to not react towards wildlife. They are lucky that that are still breathing to get only a ticket. It could have been a different story if mama had been around.
  • People from another country who were sincere about helping the animal were ticketed?

    I realize the laws need to be enforced but, sometimes a warning with an explanation is more effective.
  • Society's transition from rural to urban has resulted in a large population segment with little understanding of wild animals and domesticated farm animals. They mostly understand cats and dogs, but that's about it.

    I had a couple of young Brazilian college students at my house to do a bit of work for me in the garage (some pocket money for them, some help for me). A dog (basset) I didn't recognize strayed into the garage and the one young man said, "What should we do? Who should we call?" He was ready to drop everything and rescue the dog. I said, "We are doing nothing! The dog will go home." And he did... it turns out he belonged a few doors down the street and had gotten out of his back yard briefly. But that young fella thought we just had to do something immediately!