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I hope those stupid people are punished for this. Maybe they didn't have cell phone service to call headquarters but they could have driven there and told someone. People like this ought to stick to Disney World.
They are. Isn't Yellowstone located just behind Epcot Center? Or is it next to Space Mountain? I always forget...
Honestly, I think a lot of people just have no clue, and think the whole world is a giant theme park. And they are so out-of-touch with the harsher realities of wild nature they can't see that "rescuing" a cute fuzzy baby wild animal isn't appropriate in a truly natural setting. Predators and scavengers have to eat too, and most creatures in the wild don't die of old age.
I've been sad and irritated at the clueless people who caused this calf's demise. I must say, you need extra kudos for this comment... It's doubtful anything else in this tread could've made me crack a smile as your comment did.
But I still don't understand the thought process of picking up that baby. Hopefully it's become enough of a media sensation that something like it won't happen again... for a while at least.
There's a book called Death in Yellowstone. People treating Yellowstone as a petting zoo might learn something from it. For that matter there are books on the topic for several national parks.
I think the same author wrote Death in Grand Canyon...apparently lots of falls dominate that one, discusses how difficult and dangerous it is to rescover the bodies even tho they are often within full view of the visitors around the rim.
Huh? Yellowstone is about as far from Epcot as one can get and still be in the USA.
Sarcasm is clearly lost on you.
Quote:
They didn't try very hard to find a home for the baby. Surely some animal sanctuary somewhere would have taken it and nursed it.
Not likely. The calf might have been carrying Brucellosis, and was too young to be weaned. Have you ever worked around bottle-fed hoofstock? They usually grow up to be very dangerous to people.
The calf should have been left alone. Yellowstone isn't a petting zoo. The rangers are there primarily to manage people, not to rescue animals.
I hope those stupid people are punished for this. Maybe they didn't have cell phone service to call headquarters but they could have driven there and told someone. People like this ought to stick to Disney World.
They shouldn't have called HQ, either. So what if the bison had been in peril? There's thousands of them in the park - hundreds of them die ever year. And almost all of them meet miserable ends. Death by disease, exposure, injury, torn apart by wolves, starvation for the old and infirm, etc.
They need to be left to live and die as normally happens.
it's a WILD animal in it's natural habitat! You seriously don't think they can survive? It's not even winter, pretty sure it's been through way colder weather than whatever it is up there. Leave it aloooone people!
Yellowstone is the worst experience I have ever had. I can not believe how stupid people are.
Things I saw just in 1 day.
1. Some one dropped their hat on the banks of grand prismatic spring so they jumped off the trail into the spring run off. Even though it explicitly states what a delicate habitat it is. Not a kid, an older woman.
2. We were at the lodge standing around waiting for old faithful when this idiot overzealous amateur "photographer" just decide you know what Ill just move in for a closer look. People can not stay on designated trails especially 50 somethings with DSLRs who think they are photographers.
3. At west thumb there was a little kid eating smarties and when he'd get done he'd just throw the wrapper in Yellowstone lake, parents didn't care.
4. There was a car wreck at the boiling mud pots. Parking is tough so you have idiots parking every which way. and blocking others in and some old lady backed into a car on the other side.
5. We were at the parking lot for mammoth springs terraces and some 20-30 somethings were out side smoking and when they were done they just flicked the butt into the bushes. didn't even bother smashing and stomping, just straight into the bushes.
6. We were in Lamar Valley when all of a sudden there was a huge traffic jam. Couldn't figure out what it was. Everyone was just haphazardly parking and getting out of their cars. What I see is all of these people lined up along the road setting up tripods and kids screaming. So I'm looking around where everyone is looking and pointing and I see this terrified mother black bear and 3 cubs up in a tree. The bears get down and start running away and like 10 idiots with cameras running after them. So dumb.
7. I saw a man at the Yellowstone river plains trying to hand feed a bison some chips...
8. Super rude Chinese tourists. I mean they were rude in Hawaii but this group was on a whole new level. "You canut be in a pikshu" one guy keeps yelling. You get out pikshu!" Some bubba going on a rant about China and saying yes sir mr Wong or Chen or something. Such an awful experience. We hiked down a 1/2 mile just to get the heck away form people.
I could not wait to get the heeeeeaaalllll out of Yellowstone.
Bison...
Mother had already abandoned the baby. All wild animals do this. That's life in the cruel wild. Would have died anyway as well it should have been left to die. The death of one means life for another hopefully some scavangers were able to feed on the carcass. Not like Bison are rare. Bisons are kind of jerks anyway. They kill their young and will even kill other animals to protect their herd. Thats a crazy video. look up "Bison sacrifice elk to wolves."
The point of Yellowstone is not as a refuge or a zoo but a window in to an untouched world where we don't meddle.
The point of Yellowstone is not as a refuge or a zoo but a window in to an untouched world where we don't meddle.
Yes! This!
But I've got to disagree with you in part about Yellowstone. I love the place. But to really enjoy it, you do need to be willing to hike at least a half-mile or so away from the major sights. Once you're a couple of miles into the backcountry, the park changes utterly. (Going during the less busy seasons helps a lot, too.)
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