Bison calf at Yellowstone May 17, 2016, 10:48:51 am A bison calf had to be killed because humans thought they were helping and "rescued" the calf. The calf could not be reunited with the herd - it was rejected, and becoming dangerous to cars (thought cars were its heard) because thoughtful tourist wanted to help. I know that very few of us, if any at all, would have interfered with wildlife in a park. I get lots of camping questions because I have been camping all my life. My friends, neighbors and even family members send people with questions to me (most I can't help with, but it is nice to be thought of). I figure most of the people on this forum have friends or family that think the same way. "Joan or Andy camp a lot, ask them about..." (I'm guilty). Well we need to tell people to let wild life be wild. Sometimes that may go as far as leaving a calf with very cute eyes alone. Unfortunately sometime that calf might even die, but most of the time the mom is not that far off. We need to be able to explain to the uninitiated that if a species were not good at nurturing its young, that species would not be here. I can't believe someone did not step in and stop the tourist from "helping" the calf. It is not like everyone that visits Yellowstone is a rookie. Of course maybe someone did say something and got rebuffed. Still it is a sad story.a link to the story.
Re: Bison calf at Yellowstone Reply #1 – May 17, 2016, 11:58:46 am It is an unfortunate sequence of events that occurs throughout the National Parks. Many of us have seen such events on numerous occasions.Too often I have attempted, as I'm sure others have, to pursuade park visitors in Yosemite to stay back from "Bambi". Deer are everywhere there and visitors are not aware of the inherent danger they pose. Rangers and Park employees are in short supply to reinforce the message.With millions of guests traveling to local and National Parks every year, the message often falls on deaf ears. People are difficult to educate, and try as we will, incidents such as the Yellowstone Bison cafe will continue to be an issue. I'm not certain what more can be done. At almost every Ranger show I have attended, the Ranger passes the warning to the audience. If people only realized that the are not at an amusement park, then perhaps less intervention would be necessary.I will continue to warn visitors, but people just don't listen. That's the hardest pill to swallow. Relaxing in Big Bear and observing the wild life at a distance.Kent 2 Likes
Re: Bison calf at Yellowstone Reply #2 – May 17, 2016, 11:57:03 pm Here's hoping the term "euthanasia" is flexible enough that all that nice tender "veal" didn't go to waste and is in someone's freezer. Bison are delicious.
Re: Bison calf at Yellowstone Reply #3 – May 18, 2016, 01:46:06 am I am admittedly not a wildlife person, but what puzzled me when I saw the story was the need to euthanize the calf, especially so quickly. While I certainly believe the professional Park staff is trained to make appropriate decisions, & the story did not go into details (other than the fact the mother & herd had rejected the calf), this seemed precipitous & extreme. Zoos often raise panda cubs & other babies when there are attachment complications, & it is not unheard of for a heifer to not claim a calf or die while calving, so farmers bottle feed the calf, if they can't get an older cow to accept the extra calf, until the calf can be weaned--that's what Milk Replacer is for. I was aghast when I first moved to the farm & my husband talked about knocking the newborn runt pigs in the head because he knew they weren't going to survive--but there's a new crop of pigs about every 4 months. A calf was a whole different story, since there was only one per year & everything possible was done to save it, because that was a bigger financial hit than losing a pig. I've also heard of a several wildlife rescue programs (there was recently one on NPR about a gal who did bird rescues...especially hummingbirds). FU, I agree--hope there was some food pantry that could benefit from such a sad story. I know there are programs in Missouri where hunters can make venison donations.
Re: Bison calf at Yellowstone Reply #4 – May 18, 2016, 09:38:44 am Quote from: John DaCrema - May 17, 2016, 10:48:51 amI can't believe someone did not step in and stop the tourist from "helping" the calf. From what I read, someone DID try to intervene, but they were ignored because the "good Samaritans" thought they knew better.I don't understand why the calf couldn't have gone to a refuge, though, rather than killing it. It would have taken a bit more effort and time to do that, but......
Re: Bison calf at Yellowstone Reply #5 – May 18, 2016, 10:55:16 am Regarding transferring the calf to a zoo, wild animal park or some such, there is a herd health issue. The bison in Yellowstone are wild. They receive no inoculations or vaccines. Those animals cannot be transferred to mix with domesticated herds without risk of infecting the new herd with some disease. A long period of quarantine would have been needed, probably close to half a year. During that time, shelter and hand feeding would have been needed, and the Park simply is not equipped, either in budget or in manpower terms, to do that.Once a calf is compromised by human scent, it probably will be rejected by the herd. Hopefully, some good will come from this sad event in the form of better educating people to leave the critters alone.Ken F in OR
Re: Bison calf at Yellowstone Reply #6 – May 18, 2016, 11:13:51 am Quote from: thefuofus - May 17, 2016, 11:57:03 pmHere's hoping the term "euthanasia" is flexible enough that all that nice tender "veal" didn't go to waste and is in someone's freezer. Bison are delicious.When we visited Yellowstone there was a herd of about half a dozen or so buffalo on the street in front of a gift shop, and somehow a sedan, probably going at low speed because there were people everywhere, managed to hit a full-grown animal, breaking its leg. I didn't see it happen, but was steps away and saw the immediate aftermath. It was awful. Authorities were called and the animal was taken away in a trailer. A few minutes later, we heard a gunshot, and inquired . . . yes, the animal was put down. I asked what they did with the carcass, and there was some hemming and hawing, but apparently - at least at that time (over ten years ago) - the meat was utilized by the staff at the park. It did not go to waste. 1 Likes
Re: Bison calf at Yellowstone Reply #7 – May 18, 2016, 12:59:34 pm We have lived full time in our LD for over 7 years now. We spend most of our time on public lands and I am continually dismayed to witness the stupidity of our fellow humans. The trash and intentional damage is literally mind boggling. This is simply another example of that phenomenon. Jim
Re: Bison calf at Yellowstone Reply #8 – May 19, 2016, 02:51:46 am Ken & Judie-- Thx for sharing about quarantine & staffing issues as potential complications, & that meat had been used in the past.
Re: Bison calf at Yellowstone Reply #9 – May 20, 2016, 11:00:55 am As humans I feel we need to understand nature has no politicians or diplomats. It's eat or be eaten. Bison survive in an environment were wolfs and bears pry on them. It's the height of ego to believe we know what is best for them. 1 Likes
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