Well Green Monsters, we thought that we had seen people do some pretty ridiculous things when it comes to mistreatment of wild animals. After all, we’ve seen a swarm of tourists effectively stop an endangered turtle egg-laying season all so they could take selfies. Not to mention, the time a group of people found a beached dolphin and opted to take some snaps with it, instead of putting it back in the water. We think it’s pretty safe to say that when it comes to certain types of intelligence, namely basic logic and understanding of ecosystems, humans can hardly be considered top of the class. But we really and truly hoped that amidst all of this blatant nonsense, people might finally start to learn a thing or two about how they should interact with the animal world. Then we heard about this…
A baby bison was recently euthanized by authorities at Yellowstone National Park after he was taken from his family and placed into a visitors’ car because he looked “cold.” According to a witness, the people who took in the bison drove up to a ranger station, demanding to speak with an official as they “were seriously worried that the calf was freezing and dying.” Despite the fact that another group of visitors advised them to let the bison go, they refused to do so believing they were really helping the animal.
Now, on the surface, this action might have come from a good place, the reality is that the people who opted to remove the calf and put him in their car did so without any basic understanding of how the animal’s needs. Not only have bison evolved for thousands of years to endure extreme weather, but they are also very wary of human interference. Taking a baby away from the herd makes them prone to be rejected by their family – and sadly this is what happened to this young one.
“Interference by people can cause mothers to reject their offspring,” the Park Service wrote in a statement. “In this case, park rangers tried repeatedly to reunite the newborn bison calf with the herd. These efforts failed. The bison calf was later euthanized because it was abandoned and causing a dangerous situation by continually approaching people and cars along the roadway.”
Yellowstone National Park has a very strict policy against letting visitors approach wildlife, and as this example shows – with good reason. We all have a responsibility to keep wild animals in their natural habitat and regardless of what we might perceive as “best” for these animals, we need to recognize that it is really up to experienced professionals to make these sort of decisions. Please, if you ever come across an animal that seems to be in distress, contact a local wildlife rehabber/rescuer or veterinarian ASAP, or call a rescue hotline. Here are some that might help!
Image source: Karen Olsen Richardson/Twitter
As I understand it, the tourists found the calf freezing cold (shivering uncontrolably), alone (no bison herd anywhere nearby) and weak.
I think there are a lot of people here talking about the people who picked up the calf negatively who might well have done exactly the same thing.
This is very different from catching or tormenting an animal simply to get photos of yourself with them. This was a genuine rescue and from some of the things I’ve read about these rangers in the past I’m not convinced the calf *wasn’t* in extreme danger of death when picked up.
It seems likely that the rangers might have turned a genuine rescue that they didn’t bother to follow through into a story of tourists causing the death of the animal.
Thank you! I think, rightly or wrongly, someone saw an animal dying and wanted to help. Who could fault them for that!!!??
Thank you! I think, rightly or wrongly, someone saw an animal dying and wanted to help. Who could fault them for that!!!??
The Rangers located the mother so she wasn’t that far away and they tried to reunite them. If it wasn’t for the stupidity of them tourist it would have been still alive! They should have left it alone then contacted the Rangers
That’s what the rangers are saying, yes. And some people believe them too.
No, unless they are trained to care for this particular species of animal, People should leave wild animals alone; for their own safety & for the safety of the animals, period.
You realise if the calf had survived you’d all be singing their praises, right?
Or if they’d left him there to die horribly you’d all be calling for their blood?
There are a million stories on this page alone of rescued baby deer, fox kits, lion cubs, all sorts of animals, and everyone calls the rescuers heroes and feels all warm and fuzzy that someone cared.
I’m not seeing any consistency here. These people saw a dying calf and tried to save him. Everybody is believing the ranger’s assertions that the calf would have been somehow better off left alone to die cold and frightened. That the mother would have come back (but also saying that rejection is normal and happens a lot). If the calf was shivering and weak, he was likely rejected and needed rescue. Why are we angry at them for trying? Why are we on the side of those who killed him? Why are we believing the rangers, who have something to gain by setting blame on the people who picked up the doomed animal?
Why are we coming the attempted rescue of a calf to killing a dolphin for the sake of a selfie??
The only difference between this and a rescue of a deer or fox is that the calf didn’t survive.
Recently there was a story about a teenager who did *exactly* the same thing as these people, except he took the deer home and raised him. We loved that kid. We hated the authorities who tried to have the deer killed. We signed his petition and pushed for the deer to be given sanctuary.
If this calf had survived you’d all be cheering these people on as heroes. If they’d taken him home instead of to the rangers he would have been in the same position as that deer we were so happy was removed from the wild.
Why is everybody angry at these people for trying to save a doomed life?
I don’t get it. I’d get it if the calf was fine and didn’t need saving. But he wasn’t fine. He was shivering and weak. His mother was gone. He was going to die. So I don’t get the anger.
This nigga gets it
This nigga gets it
NO damn it, it’s a natural park, calling specialist authorities should always be the first thing to do!
NO damn it, it’s a natural park, calling specialist authorities should always be the first thing to do!
I agree!
I agree!
And where do you think the deer came from Catarina?
And where do you think the deer came from Catarina?
Kris deer? And beside the confusion with the animal, what do you mean with the question?
Kris deer? And beside the confusion with the animal, what do you mean with the question?
My comment from 5 hours ago. Read it. 5 comments up.
My comment from 5 hours ago. Read it. 5 comments up.
Stick to the point, this, as all the other cases you referred, is a reflection of the lack of knowledge of wildlife and the way it works. I don’t applaud the calf being euthanized either, but stop wondering about what the general population is praising or not and face the main mistake here: wildlife should be treated by experts and away from human interaction.
No, I’m happy wondering about what the general population is praising. In fact that’s what my original comment was about, which you replied to.
The deer, as an example, was raised perfectly well by a child of 14 if I recall. Wildlife who was not treated by experts and had lots of human interaction. Turned out fine. Would have otherwise died alone in the bush. If I read you correctly you’re saying he should have left him there to starve?
If that’s the case, I guess you’re one of the few who gets angry rather than happy when you read stories about any rescued wildlife rescued from death, successful or not. So you’re not one of the people I’m talking about.
At the end of the day, this was a baby cow. You don’t need an expert to raise a baby cow. You need milk, grass and a vet experienced in ruminants. If a baby cow is shivering and weak he’s been rejected and will die. If I read you correctly, you’re saying you’d have left him there to do that, which is your prerogative.
I’m saying most of the people here angry at his rescuers would have done the same thing. It’s surprisingly difficult to leave an animal to die in pain and misery.
The point of this story was that people shouldn’t interfere with wildlife, and I’m arguing that point and the anger aimed at those who tried.
As far as I can tell, their only mistake was going to rangers instead of taking the calf home, raising him themselves and finding sanctuary for him when he’s grown. As with the deer, and hundreds of other wild animals I’ve read about on this page, that’s the only thing we would all be praising, because the calf would be happy and healthy right now bottle fed and sleeping on the couch.
The calf was going to die in the forest alone. They tried, but he died by needle instead. No difference really, but I applaud them for trying.
Who the fuck walks away from a dying baby and does nothing?
And as for the ranger’s story, well I don’t believe for a second that the mother was coming back. A mother will never leave her young so long that he’s shivering and weak unless she’s left him for good.
I wonder if they would have killed it if it was a white Buffalo? Or made the effort to save it. The people that tried to help it didn’t cause it’s death the herd already rejected it and they wanted to help, if it wasn’t going to people for help the Rangers would have let nature take its course. Instead they decided to make the only ones making a effort to save it look bad and put out on social media to get bashed because they broke the golden rule. But they made themselves look even worse.
I agree it should not have been bothered by the humans but when rejected why couldn’t it be bottle fed like calves often are?
I agree it should not have been bothered by the humans but when rejected why couldn’t it be bottle fed like calves often are?