Alan Olander wrote:
People just don't learn. The Park has started to prosecute people for their stupidity ending in fines and jail time.
Did you watch the entire video as presented by the photographer or the condensed version only showing him being tossed?
There are plenty of examples of people being stupid but in this case this grandfather and his grandson didn't do anything wrong. The Bison was about 100 yards (laying down) at the start of this sequence, the men started moving away by the time the bison got up and charged the white truck. Once it missed the truck it laser focused on the two men.
The bison rut is in full swing and they can be pretty temperamental at this time. Here's the full video;
In reply to another thread on another forum about people doing dumb stuff around wildlife in Yellowstone.
Here's the video posted by a photographer showing the moments leading up to the older man being tossed by a bull. IMO, they did everything right but still got in trouble. They just ran into the wrong bison.
I post this because a lot of people are responding to major news outlets which are only showing a brief moment when he was tossed. The longer video gives a fuller context of the event.
I did watch the entire video, and from other reports, the men were apparently well away from the bison. However, there are plenty of other incidents where individuals weren't following the rules. As far as I'm concerned, the park shouldn't let people anywhere near a bull in rut unless in a vehicle.
The old guy had three options, none of which he took. You don't run around a tree, you keep the trunk of the tree between you and the bison. He had the option of going behind two vehicles, and did neither.
I posted the same story and it was moved as not a photo. I felt it's a good warning that the recommended distances should be observed and they were much closer that the 25 yards recommended by he NPS.
morris wrote:
I posted the same story and it was moved as not a photo. I felt it's a good warning that the recommended distances should be observed and they were much closer that the 25 yards recommended by he NPS.
The tail was the clear warning sign. It started to wag while they still had time to retreat. Seems like the grandfather continued moving on, but the grandson lingered and that may have been enough.
As they say, if a bison’s tail is up, it’s either ready to charge or... discharge.
GroovyGeek wrote:
The tail was the clear warning sign. It started to wag while they still had time to retreat. Seems like the grandfather continued moving on, but the grandson lingered and that may have been enough.
As they say, if a bison’s tail is up, it’s either ready to charge or... discharge.
Those of us that are experienced with wildlife recognise signs like this and understand the animal is stressed. I posted the first thread so that those less experienced can learn and be safe.
Best to observe the critter's behavior and use it as an indicator of mood. When a bison lowers its head and snorts it is best to get as far away as practical. Many animals will snort or snarl prior to attacking as they prefer to intimidate and not risk injury to themselves.
As a photographer I watch behavior to determine if I am making the animal uncomfortable.
In the USA the primary killer animals are dogs followed by hogs.
FWIW, even if you think you know the signs and can read animal behavior, sometimes critters do something that you did not anticipate. Especially with large beasts like these, distance is your friend as is having some protection (e.g. a vehicle, etc.) and an escape plan.
I’ve seen far too many people who don’t understand the dangers do things that scare the daylights out of me. (I once watched a bunch of campers in a Yosemite high country campground surrounded by a treed black bear. Not good.)
"Stay more than 25 yards (23 m) away from all large animals " should be revised to "Stay more than 300 yards (275 m) away from all large animals, use a telephoto or binoculars and be within 50 yards of your vehicle". Obviously there are people who think they can outrun this rather pleasant beast at 25 yards.
