Re: Yellowstone National Park: Tourists at Wyoming Park Put Bison Calf in Vehicle

They were worried it was cold...

http://www.eastidahonews.com/2016/05/yellowstone-tourists-worried-bison-calf-is-cold-so-they-put-it-in-their-car/





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/15/2016 03:06AM by KevinD.

I saw this yesterday on another chat site. It boggles the mind.

It's sad that they decided to euthanize the baby calf (since it was rejected by its herd). I wonder if the Park Service first tried to find a new home for it (at a wildlife rescue center or a zoo). I would think there would have been a zoo out there that could take in a baby bison and raise it in captivity.

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Leave No Trace

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plawrence
It's sad that they decided to euthanize the baby calf (since it was rejected by its herd). I wonder if the Park Service first tried to find a new home for it (at a wildlife rescue center or a zoo). I would think there would have been a zoo out there that could take in a baby bison and raise it in captivity.

Ranchers in the Greater Yellowstone area are so afraid of brucellosis transmission that there would have been a uproar from them if the baby was shipped to a rescue center or zoo without the proper clearance. I also looked on the internet and there are no rescue facilities in the area that take bison. The do take wolves, coyotes, birds, bears etc but no bison.

This is from Yellowstone's FB page

"Thanks to everyone who's taken the time to read this post and share our safety messages. We're reading through your comments and noticed many people asking why the calf had to be euthanized.In order to ship the calf out of the park, it would have had to go through months of quarantine to be monitored for brucellosis. No approved quarantine facilities exist at this time, and we don't have the capacity to care for a calf that's too young to forage on its own. Nor is it the mission of the National Park Service to rescue animals: our goal is to maintain the ecological processes of Yellowstone. Even though humans were involved in this case, it is not uncommon for bison, especially young mothers, to lose or abandon their calves. Those animals typically die of starvation or predation."

Thanks for the followup. It explains the reasons for their actions quite well.

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Leave No Trace

The Anchorage Zoo has an animal rescue program that since we have been here (4 years) has been used for moose, black bears, and polar bears. It is an expensive proposition and the bears are usually shipped to zoos across the country. I'm not sure what happens to the moose because besides Alaska I don't think I have ever seen a moose in a zoo before. Maybe they raise them until they are big enough to eat!

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parklover

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plawrence
It's sad that they decided to euthanize the baby calf (since it was rejected by its herd). I wonder if the Park Service first tried to find a new home for it (at a wildlife rescue center or a zoo). I would think there would have been a zoo out there that could take in a baby bison and raise it in captivity.

Ranchers in the Greater Yellowstone area are so afraid of brucellosis transmission that there would have been a uproar from them if the baby was shipped to a rescue center or zoo without the proper clearance. I also looked on the internet and there are no rescue facilities in the area that take bison. The do take wolves, coyotes, birds, bears etc but no bison.

I'm pretty sure their preference would be that it die the way that abandoned bison calves typically die - either taken by a predator or consumed by scavengers. But constantly approaching people is a situation similar to bears constantly looking for food in campgrounds. There's really nothing good that can come out of it.

It may sound cruel to some, but this is the way nature operates. I don't know if these clowns who stupidly were worried that it was "cold" really affected if this calf would live or die, but in the end its one of many. I suppose as humans we celebrate the individual, but in nature it's typically about populations and ecosystems. Bison really don't have too many predators except for wolves, and it's not as if there's enough to keep the bison population in check. They're doing what they can to limit the Yellowstone bison population.

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y_p_w

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parklover

Quote
plawrence
It's sad that they decided to euthanize the baby calf (since it was rejected by its herd). I wonder if the Park Service first tried to find a new home for it (at a wildlife rescue center or a zoo). I would think there would have been a zoo out there that could take in a baby bison and raise it in captivity.

Ranchers in the Greater Yellowstone area are so afraid of brucellosis transmission that there would have been a uproar from them if the baby was shipped to a rescue center or zoo without the proper clearance. I also looked on the internet and there are no rescue facilities in the area that take bison. The do take wolves, coyotes, birds, bears etc but no bison.

I'm pretty sure their preference would be that it die the way that abandoned bison calves typically die - either taken by a predator or consumed by scavengers. But constantly approaching people is a situation similar to bears constantly looking for food in campgrounds. There's really nothing good that can come out of it.

It may sound cruel to some, but this is the way nature operates. I don't know if these clowns who stupidly were worried that it was "cold" really affected if this calf would live or die, but in the end its one of many. I suppose as humans we celebrate the individual, but in nature it's typically about populations and ecosystems. Bison really don't have too many predators except for wolves, and it's not as if there's enough to keep the bison population in check. They're doing what they can to limit the Yellowstone bison population.

I personally have no issue with Yellowstone's decision for I totally understand their mission, that they have to follow state and federal regulations on transporting bison out of the park and their inability to take care of the calf due to staffing issues and the fact that they don't have a quarantine facility. Not to mention that calves that age do not have a high survival rate if they are taken to a rescue facility. Unfortunately, some people don't and the park is being criticized in the social media for euthanizing the calf. The herd would not accept it back and there would most likely have been more outcry if people saw the calf alone on the side of the road being attacked by a bear or wolf.

Quote
parklover

Quote
y_p_w

Quote
parklover

Quote
plawrence
It's sad that they decided to euthanize the baby calf (since it was rejected by its herd). I wonder if the Park Service first tried to find a new home for it (at a wildlife rescue center or a zoo). I would think there would have been a zoo out there that could take in a baby bison and raise it in captivity.

Ranchers in the Greater Yellowstone area are so afraid of brucellosis transmission that there would have been a uproar from them if the baby was shipped to a rescue center or zoo without the proper clearance. I also looked on the internet and there are no rescue facilities in the area that take bison. The do take wolves, coyotes, birds, bears etc but no bison.

I'm pretty sure their preference would be that it die the way that abandoned bison calves typically die - either taken by a predator or consumed by scavengers. But constantly approaching people is a situation similar to bears constantly looking for food in campgrounds. There's really nothing good that can come out of it.

It may sound cruel to some, but this is the way nature operates. I don't know if these clowns who stupidly were worried that it was "cold" really affected if this calf would live or die, but in the end its one of many. I suppose as humans we celebrate the individual, but in nature it's typically about populations and ecosystems. Bison really don't have too many predators except for wolves, and it's not as if there's enough to keep the bison population in check. They're doing what they can to limit the Yellowstone bison population.

I personally have no issue with Yellowstone's decision for I totally understand their mission, that they have to follow state and federal regulations on transporting bison out of the park and their inability to take care of the calf due to staffing issues and the fact that they don't have a quarantine facility. Not to mention that calves that age do not have a high survival rate if they are taken to a rescue facility. Unfortunately, some people don't and the park is being criticized in the social media for euthanizing the calf. The herd would not accept it back and there would most likely have been more outcry if people saw the calf alone on the side of the road being attacked by a bear or wolf.

I think NPS would have been OK if it had been attacked by a wolf or bear. That was less likely to happen after it started repeatedly approaching people.

Quote
y_p_w

Quote
parklover

Quote
y_p_w

Quote
parklover

Quote
plawrence
It's sad that they decided to euthanize the baby calf (since it was rejected by its herd). I wonder if the Park Service first tried to find a new home for it (at a wildlife rescue center or a zoo). I would think there would have been a zoo out there that could take in a baby bison and raise it in captivity.

Ranchers in the Greater Yellowstone area are so afraid of brucellosis transmission that there would have been a uproar from them if the baby was shipped to a rescue center or zoo without the proper clearance. I also looked on the internet and there are no rescue facilities in the area that take bison. The do take wolves, coyotes, birds, bears etc but no bison.

I'm pretty sure their preference would be that it die the way that abandoned bison calves typically die - either taken by a predator or consumed by scavengers. But constantly approaching people is a situation similar to bears constantly looking for food in campgrounds. There's really nothing good that can come out of it.

It may sound cruel to some, but this is the way nature operates. I don't know if these clowns who stupidly were worried that it was "cold" really affected if this calf would live or die, but in the end its one of many. I suppose as humans we celebrate the individual, but in nature it's typically about populations and ecosystems. Bison really don't have too many predators except for wolves, and it's not as if there's enough to keep the bison population in check. They're doing what they can to limit the Yellowstone bison population.

I personally have no issue with Yellowstone's decision for I totally understand their mission, that they have to follow state and federal regulations on transporting bison out of the park and their inability to take care of the calf due to staffing issues and the fact that they don't have a quarantine facility. Not to mention that calves that age do not have a high survival rate if they are taken to a rescue facility. Unfortunately, some people don't and the park is being criticized in the social media for euthanizing the calf. The herd would not accept it back and there would most likely have been more outcry if people saw the calf alone on the side of the road being attacked by a bear or wolf.

I think NPS would have been OK if it had been attacked by a wolf or bear. That was less likely to happen after it started repeatedly approaching people.

Of course the NPS would have been OK if it had been attacked by a wolf or bear because that is what happens in nature and fits within their mission statement of when and when not to interfere. With it approaching people or standing in or on the road it had become a safety issue both for the calf and people. It is the visitors and people on social media that would be upset if the calf that now has made it's way into the hearts of people was seen being eaten.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/19/2016 09:42AM by parklover.