Tourists in Yellowstone are not allowed to contact wildlife in the national park for a reason. But when they do, this usually has very bad consequences for either people or animals.
Karen Richardson from Victor, Idaho, together with several other parents, were leading a group of 5th graders on their field trip to the National park Yellowstone this week.
On Monday, a son and a father came to the ranger station with a bison calf, loaded on their SUV.
‘They were demanding to speak with a ranger’, explains Richardson. “They were seriously worried that the calf was freezing and dying.”
Rob Heusevelet, a father of a student from the group, told the men to let the bison go. He warned them that they might have problems for having this wild animal with them.
This had no effect. ‘They didn’t care’, explains Heusevelet. ‘They sincerely thought they were doing a service and helping that calf by trying to save it from the cold’. They did not care that they were violating the rules of the national park.
When the law enforcement rangers came, they ticketed the tourists who were from another country. The rangers then followed the pair back to the place where they found the bison, and the animal was released. Unfortunately, this was not enough to save the animal.
No Contact with Wildlife
The visitors of this national park are not allowed to contact wildlife. Tourists have to stay at least 25 yards away from large animals. This information is published on the National Park Service website. It has to be read by all the tourists, going to Yellowstone.
When the group of students came back from their trip, Richardson immediately posted a photo of the animal on Facebook with the caption:
‘Dear tourists: the bison calf is not cold and it is not lost. PUT IT BACK!’
The foreign visitors took the newborn bison calf in their vehicle and transported it to a park facility because of their false concern that the animal was cold. What they did was not smart at all and actually quite dangerous for them. Adult animals are often quite protective of their babies and might attack people if they consider them as a threat. Also, the interaction with human can make the mothers reject their offspring.
No Happy End
In the case with the bison calf, the rangers tried again and again to reunite the newborn with its herd. Unfortunately, all of their efforts totally failed. That is why the calf was later euthanized because the herd abandoned it. The newborn was causing dangerous situations by continually approaching tourists and cars along the roadway.
The direct contact with wild animals in Yellowstone is forbidden because it can drastically affect their wellbeing and even survival. That is exactly what happened in the case with the calf.
Disregarding the regulations on the territory of the national park can result in injuries, fines, and even death. The safety of both humans and animals depends on strictly following the rules.