News

Jun 01, 2023

Yellowstone National Park reminds visitors: Stay away from bison, elk

Yellowstone National Park officials are urging visitors to respect safety

Yellowstone National Park officials are urging visitors to respect safety regulations after a man pleaded guilty to intentionally disturbing a baby bison that was later euthanized and tourists put an elk calf in their car.

"In recent days, some actions by visitors have led to the endangerment of people and wildlife and resulted in the death of wildlife," park officials said in a news release Thursday.

Park officials said visitors are required to stay at least 25 yards away from all wildlife and at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves.

Approaching wild animals can affect their well-being and their survival, park officials said.

"When an animal is near a campsite, trail, boardwalk, parking lot, on a road, or in a developed area, leave it alone and give it space," park officials said.

The man who "intentionally disturbed" the baby bison pleaded guilty to one count of feeding, touching, teasing, frightening or intentionally disturbing wildlife on May 31, the U.S. Department of Justice District of Wyoming said in a news release.

According to the violation notice, the man approached the newborn bison – after the struggling calf had been separated from its mother when the herd crossed the Lamar River – and pushed the baby up from the river and onto the roadway on May 20, the news release said.

Park rangers tried to reunite the calf with the herd, but they were unsuccessful.

Staff euthanized the calf because "it was abandoned by the herd" and "causing a hazardous situation by approaching cars and people along the roadway," the release said.

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During Memorial Day weekend, visitors put an elk calf in their car and took it to the West Yellowstone Police Department.

"The elk later ran off into the forest and its condition is unknown," the park said.

The incident is under investigation.

Yellowstone National Park:Tourists put newborn elk calf in car, drive to police station

On May 28, an adult male black bear was struck and killed by a vehicle in the northwestern section of the park. That same day, a second male black bear was hit and killed by a vehicle on the same highway, park officials said.

"In recent days, one elk and one bison were hit by separate vehicles," park officials said. "These incidents are under investigation."

Park officials reminded visitors to travel 55 mph or less on U.S. 191 and 45 mph or less on park roads.

"Use extra caution at night," park officials said. "Animal fur absorbs light, making them very difficult to see on roads at night, even while using bright headlights."

The park said its focus is to sustain "viable populations of native wildlife species, rather than protecting individual animals."

The park adds the death of animals is a "necessary part of sustaining our populations of predators, scavengers, decomposers and, eventually, herbivores."

"Actions like feeding, husbandry and rehabilitation contradict the National Park Service mission by shielding animals from the forces of natural selection and creating a zoo-like atmosphere where animals require assistance or protection from people," the park said.

About 99% of Yellowstone is managed as wilderness, the park said.

The park said it only intervenes in "natural biological or physical processes" under these circumstances:

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