Mammoth Hot Springs, WY – A newborn bison calf was euthanized by Yellowstone National Park staff because they said it posed a risk to park visitors. According to a news release, the calf was separated from its mother and was approaching cars on a park roadway, creating a hazardous situation.
According to the news release, the calf was abandoned by its herd after being “intentionally disturbed” by a man who helped it out of the Lamar River. The release explains:
An unidentified white male in his 40-50’s, wearing a blue shirt and black pants, approached a newborn bison calf in Lamar Valley near the confluence of the Lamar River and Soda Butte Creek. The calf had been separated from its mother when the herd crossed the Lamar River. As the calf struggled, the man pushed the calf up from the river and onto the roadway.
From the Park Service’s information, it appears that the man was attempting to help the struggling calf get out of the water, but officials want to find the man because people are supposed to stay at least 25 yards (23 m) away from all wildlife (including bison, elk and deer) and at least 100 yards (91 m) away from bears and wolves.
The agency explains the decision to kill the calf, writing:
Interference by people can cause wildlife to reject their offspring. In this case, park rangers tried repeatedly to reunite the calf with the herd. These efforts failed. The calf was later killed by park staff because it was abandoned by the herd and causing a hazardous situation by approaching cars and people along the roadway.
An investigation is currently underway:
If you were in Lamar Valley on the evening of May 20, 2023, and have information that could help this investigation, please contact the Yellowstone National Park Tip Line at 307-344-2132 or YELL_Tip@nps.gov.
Wow. The calf couldn’t be place at a sanctuary???
I agree 100%!!!!😡
I couldn’t agree more with all comments. The National Park Service obviously has a new work policy, which sucks!
My thoughts exactly! And weren’t bison extinct in America not all that long ago? You’d think those responsible for overseeing them in the wild would want to do everything possible to help their young survive to adulthood, not take the “easy” way out and kill them. Would they kill their own baby if it’s mom abandoned it or died?!
People are so quick to kill precious animals instead of taking the time and do research communicate with others. The stranger a kind human helping the baby. If the herd abandoned the baby looking for a proper legal sanctuary . Change your policy.
They could have brought the calf to a Wildlife Rehabilitation place or rescue Sanctuary instead of euthanizing the calf there was no excuse for that
Christ! Must you kill every bloody thing?! It was a baby looking for it’s mum and all you can think about is the bloody traffic?!! That man helped rescue the calf so it would live and look how you remedy the situation. Talk about giving people too much power. “Oh, it’s in the way. Let’s kill it.” What a shame the same doesn’t apply to you!!!!
I couldn’t agree with you more. The government agencies charged with protecting and preserving wildlife are the ones who pose the worst threat to them. The Tule elk, wolves, bears, wild mustangs – an endless list of lives lost unnecessarily and by those who are, purportedly, there to protect them and ensure their survival. Another life extinguished by a government that doesn’t care.
couldn’t agree with you more, Shirley!
I applaud the man who stepped up to save the calf. There was no reason to put it down, why wasn’t it put in a rehabilitation sanctuary. It deserved a chance! To who ever told them to put the baby down was so wrong. What goes around will come back and bite you hard in the as_!
100 correct! A man does a good deed and wildlife just had to kill the baby! Makes no sense, I’m sure some animal rescue would have took the baby
Most of the people who work for the fish and wildlife service and park service actually like to kill animals, sad to say Some months ago a man saw a large friendly bear with an arrow in him in his neighborhood. Obviously the bear was shot illegally. When the man contacted the fish and wildlife service, not only they did not bother to investigate the poaching They left the bear to die a slow painful death from infection
these so called experts are a fucking joke. you mean to say she posed such a grave threat that she could not be saved and raised in a sanctuary. these people turn my stomach. they are just too busy to give a shit so just kill this poor baby. they should arrest the assholes that keep approaching these animals but that requires them to get off their asses so forget that. they should be fired!
Just because they are fucking government they can get away with killing all animals even babies
rednecks are waaaayy too lazy uncaring and happy TO KILL WHATEVER ANIMAL THEY CAN AND BLAME OTHERS AND LOVE TO TORMENT THOSE OF US WILLING TO BOTTLE FEED AND CARE FOR ABANDONED ANIMALS by killing them! ALL LIVES MATTER! THEY DO NOT RECOGNIZE THEIR LIVES AS VALUE UNLESS THEY CAN MAKE A BUCK OFF THEM SOMEHOW NOT SPEND A BUCK ON THEM!!!
Bullshit that baby would hurt anything it a baby for God sake that all these bastars do is kill animals 💔 😢 so why can’t they be charged the same way as we do
I agree now it sounds like they are planning to cause this man who risked his own life to jump in and save that poor babies life a bunch of problems. If you ask me that man is a hero. How dare these murderous bastards. Then they kill the poor thing. Shame on all of them. Aweful people.
I agree with you!!
They need to make up there damn mind if they have any damn brains 🧠 witch I don’t think they have is just and empty spot where there damn brains should gave been and I agree they could have taken that baby to a safe place but instead they took a life away from. A baby
The people who kill animals rather than relocate to a rehabilitation center are cruel & lazy. It appears they just desire to kill!
Evidently the park staff does not know what a bottle and milk replacement supplement is. Perhaps they did not want to be bothered with the 2-3 hour feedings of the calf!!!! There are sanctuaries that would have taken and raised the calf until it was big enough and old enough to be on it’s own.
too lazy too hard lets kill its easy jack asses in charge thats why earth is in peril!!!
No reason ever to kill a baby animal. Rehab it you idiots. God created life you have no right to take it away. You need to leave that profession. 🙏❤️🙏
That poor baby.☹️😭 Why couldn’t you give it to a rescue place. Why must you kill everything. He was looking for his momma. And all you thought was traffic. Id be e ashamed killing an innocent baby that guy saved. That guy saves it. You kill it. God watches you people. Does it make you feel powerful ?
The man that saved it from the river is a kindhearted HERO not someone who should be tracked down by park officials or law enforcement so he can be fined for touching wildlife. The calf should have been given to a rehab, sanctuary, zoo or somewhere…anywhere but be killed because he or she was approaching cars. The calf was obviously lost, frightened and hungry and looked to people to help it. There are also American Indian tribes that have been given bison to restore them to their former ranges. They would have taken the calf in for sure. Lazy park officials just wanted to get rid of the problem…that so called problem was a living breathing creature that deserved to live. I doubt officials tried very hard to get the calf to be accepted into a new herd.
Government policies have put us in the crises we are in now. This is but one example of how government thinks it can run things better than nature and your life better than you. God damn all progressives to hell. Worthless bunch of lazy, misguided bastards.
This is not a political issue. I am a progressive complete liberal and I find this appalling. Conservatives are a hundred times more likely to condemn bleeding heart animal lovers. They would gladly shoot the bison for fun. So go to another site to spout your close-minded conservative crap!!!!
I highly doubt you are the real Bess Myerson, (look her up) but whatever. This has nothing to do with Progressives. Seriously? How stupid are you? Please don’t answer because we won’t agree. The baby bison should never have been killed and SURPRISE, it wasn’t killed by a Progressive it was killed by some asshole who “was just following orders”. Sounds more like a Fascist to me!
The calf would surely have been welcomed on nearby reservations.
If you are not qualified and approved, DO NOT INTERVENE in situations like this. The animal is ALWAYS the loser. Any decent person’s instincts would motivate them to help, but contrary to what we may think, it is NOT helping the animal and unfortunately, the outcome is tragic.
SHAMEFUL terrible decision by the park – which has already been killing these animals, so what’s one more? That rescuer was a HERO trying to save a baby from drowning while the park rangers were…..WHERE?
There wre other options if the mother rejected this calf – to kill it was the brainless, easy way out.
I used to love our national parks, now they disgust me. Far too much killing and uncaring park personnel.
That is crazy they should have tried to bring it to a rehab
Why didn’t they send the baby to a good sanctuary? The murder of this innocent baby was so callous and uncalled for! What a sickening act by a bunch of dumb asses!!
Unbelievable. Why kill it? You couldn’t find a sanctuary for it? SMH
I was going to write a long response but after reading all the others nothing else to say except: I AGREE WITH EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FO PARK STAFF!! Easily could have reunited calf with herd and THEY should have been the ones rescuing it from the river!!!
People are so quick to kill precious animals instead of taking the time and do research communicate with others. The stranger a kind human helping the baby. If the herd abandoned the baby looking for a proper legal sanctuary . Change your policy.
WTF!!! WHY DID THEY KILL THIS POOR INNOCENT BABY? EVIL MURDERERS!!
You all need to not bother the wild animals…unless they need help/medical attention! Any reason to kill…I bet the baby would have been fine! There are sanctuaries, if necessary!! The poor mama has to be heartbroken! Stop the killing!!