image via – youtube.com
Baby bison have been in the news lately for all the wrong reasons. If you haven’t yet heard, one was recently picked up by concerned tourists in Yellowstone National Park and brought to rangers in the back of their car. The foreign tourists claimed that they thought the young bison looked cold, so they warmed it up in their car.
However good their intentions may have been, it turned out to be deadly for the calf. Park rangers spent over two days trying to reunite the calf with its mother, but all attempts were rejected. Because of that, and since it kept approaching people and cars near the roadway, the youngster was subsequently euthanized. In addition, it’s illegal to transport an untested bison outside of the park due to the potential for spreading Brucellosis, a bovine disease that can easily spread among cows and bison.
This other baby bison story has a much happier ending and there is no human interference with the course that mother nature intended. The National Geographic video clip shows a young bison calf who is just seven days old attempting to cross the Lamar River, located in northwestern Wyoming.
The water is running higher and swifter than usual due to melting snow, which causes the tiny baby to lose its footing and get swept downstream. It finally reaches a small gravelly island and climbs ashore, but it’s freezing cold, sapped of energy, hungry, and all alone. Night is closing in on the baby fast and the rest of the herd, including his mother, has continued on their journey.
Things go from bad to worse when a hungry wolf spots the lone baby bison and moves in for the kill. It reaches the island and latches on to the calf’s throat, trying to bring it down, but the bison manages to stay on its feet and stand his ground. The wolf is far from experienced and struggles to maintain its grip in the calf’s throat as the two flail about. Suddenly, a noise in the distance startles the lone wolf and causes it to halt its attack.
Seconds later the young bison’s mother comes thundering into view and she saves the day!! The wolf backs off and can only look on helplessly as mother and child reunite. After a quick greeting and sniff the hungry baby immediately gets to nursing. It will need all the strength and nourishment it can get after the harrowing ordeal it went through and it’s incredibly lucky to be alive.
What an awesome story of instincts, survival, and the powerful bond between a mother and child!
Please Share This Story With Family and Friends
