Bison Calf Euthanized After Yellowstone Tourists Put It In Their Vehicle

I worked in Yellowstone for several months during my college years. During that time I witnessed many tourists get dangerously close to the bison, but I never imagined anyone would do something so absurd as to actually pick up a newborn bison calf and put it in the back of a vehicle. But, that's exactly what happened last week in the national park.

Karen Richardson of Victor, Idaho, told EastIdahoNews.com she was chaperoning a group of fifth graders at Lamar Buffalo Ranch at Yellowstone when a father and son pulled up to the ranger station with a bison calf in their SUV.

They were demanding to speak with a ranger, Richardson said. They were seriously worried that the calf was freezing and dying.

Rob Heusevelet, a student's father, told the men to remove the calf and warned them they could get in trouble.

They didn't care, Heusevelet says. They sincerely thought they were doing a service and helping that calf by trying to save it from the cold.

Law enforcement were called and ticketed the father and son. The rangers then followed the pair back to where they picked up the calf and released it.

According to KRTV.com, the rangers tried repeatedly to reunite the calf with the herd, but their efforts failed. The abandoned bison calf was later euthanized because it was causing a dangerous situation by continually approaching people and cars along the roadway.

You can see an image of the bison in the back of the vehicle here.

Have you ever witnessed someone interfering with wildlife when they shouldn't?