Why Did the little Bison Calf Have to Die?

There’s one basic rule at Yellowstone National Park: Don’t mess with the wildlife. Do not feed, attempt to ride, pose for selfies, or even approach the animals. And definitely do not try to “help” a bison calf cross a river.

That’s what one unidentified man tried to do the other day in the northeast corner of the park near the confluence of the Lamar River and Soda Butte Creek.

“The calf had been separated from its mother when the herd crossed the Lamar River,” according to a park press release. “As the calf struggled, the man pushed the calf up from the river and onto the roadway. Visitors later observed the calf walk up to and follow cars and people.”

The calf may have been trying to glom onto humans because, now that it had interacted with one of them, its own herd rejected it. Park rangers tried repeatedly to reunite the calf with the herd but the effort failed. The poor calf was eventually put down because its confused behavior on the road was deemed hazardous. 

It’s not the first time the road to euthanasia was paved with good intentions. In 2016, do-gooder tourists put a bison calf they thought was in trouble into their vehicle and brought it to a park facility. They had to kill that one too.

Yellowstone regs require that people stay at least 25 yards away from most of the park’s wildlife (including bison, elk and deer), and at least 100 yards from bears and wolves.

The park would like to have a chat with the latest buttinsky tourist.  If you recognize the guy, contact the Yellowstone National Park Tip Line at 307-344-2132 or YELL_Tip@nps.gov.

Photo credit: Hellen Jack / Yellowstone National Park