Yellowstone National Park officials say they were forced to euthanize a newborn bison calf after another unfortunate encounter between a park visitor and wildlife, according to the National Park Service.
On the night of May 20, a then-unidentified man disturbed a bison calf in the Wyoming portion of the park after it became separated from its mother and her herd while crossing the Lamar River, the park service said in a statement. Press release.
“As the calf struggled, the man pushed the calf up the river and onto the road,” the park service said.
The service that week posted a photo of the man lifting the bison calf from the river. Authorities eventually identified the man and he pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of intentionally feeding, touching, provoking, frightening or disturbing wildlife before a federal judge, the Wyoming U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
The man was fined $500, ordered to make a $500 community service payment to a Yellowstone wildlife protection fund and charged $40 in special assessment and processing fees.
Park regulations state that people must stay at least 25 yards away from bison, elk and most other wildlife and 100 yards away from bears and wolves. Getting close to wild animals can affect their well-being and survival, the NPS said.
After the May 20 encounter, visitors saw the calf walking and following both cars and people, creating a danger to those nearby, NPS said.
“Interference from people can cause wildlife to reject their young,” the park service said. After park rangers failed to reunite the calf with its herd, they decided to euthanize it because “it was abandoned by its herd and was causing a dangerous situation for cars and people approaching along the road.” NPS said.
Yellowstone visitors have previously interacted with bison and been seriously injured, including at least three in May and June 2022. In one case, a 71-year-old woman was gored by a bison a day after another visitor was injured by another bison. . .
