Nearly every year in Yellowstone, people are injured by bison, and almost always it’s due to the behavior and actions of the park’s two-legged visitors.
Just behind the human driver, bison are probably the second most dangerous mammal in the ecosystem when it comes to visitor injuries in Yellowstone, so please please please do not pet the fluffy cows.
I never tire of seeing vast bison herds in any season-they are majestic and humbling to watch. I treasure this palpably wild island ecosystem as a remnant refuge for them and other wildlife species; just 150 years ago, millions of Bison bison roamed the Great Plains and beyond.
Our national mammal has evoked reverence, respect, and intergenerational stewardship for Native Americans for eons, and in Yellowstone alone 26 different Native American nations exercise their federal treaty rights to manage and sustain them.
As with all wildlife, remember that if an animal changes its behavior you are too close, even if you’re complying with the park’s minimum allowable distance you’re required to be from them.
Please remember that bison are not fluffy cows and neither are their newborn calves.
Both can run 35 miles per hour and leap five feet from a standing position-who would really want a 2000 pound animal throwing you ten feet into the air, then trampling and stomping on you once you’ve hit the ground?
Misreading the bison’s seemingly laid-back appearance, some people approach too close, crowd, taunt and harass these animals, closing off any escape routes for bison or themselves.
Sadly, bison may have already been agitated or stressed out by other park visitors, and the next time someone gets too close, another person’s on the receiving end of the bison’s reactions.
A few things to consider when visiting a place where you may encounter wildlife…
Never turn your back on any animal, especially for a selfie or a group photo. Consider which is truly more important, your desire to have a photo or an animal’s well being.
Speak in low, calm voices and avoid sudden movements. Remember that your voice and noise level can also diminish the experiences of other park visitors as well, as do idling motor vehicles.
So stay at least 25 yards away from park wildlife, and remember that you must be at least 100 yards away from bears, mountain lions and wolves at all times.
Many of these animals have no other wild places remaining in which to make a living, so thanks for remembering that is we who are visitors, and this is often their last refuge to exist and persist. Their continued survival depends mightily on our actions, no matter where our feet are.
Finally, I’d like so suggest visiting The Bison Range in Moise, Montana as a great stopping point between Yellowstone and Glacier national parks. It’s a relatively uncrowded Yellowstone style landscape on a smaller scale. Approximately 300 to 400 bison roaming the plains, prairies and forested hills, along with other native wildlife species and gorgeous summer wildflowers.
The Bison Range is managed and operated by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes of the Flathead Indian Reservation.
Learn more about the The Bison Range here:
Good read
Thanks John, I hope all’s well with you!