What is wrong with people?? Don't put a bison in your SUV

Tourists in Yellowstone put a bison in their car because it looked cold. Pics too.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2016/05/16/baby-bison-dies-after-yellowstone-tourists-put-it-in-their-car-because-it-looked-cold/

this planet would be much healthier without us.

FilmCarp said:

this planet would be much healthier without us.

No plastic though.

This is just so messed up.  

The ignorance of so many people is profound. Sad. I remember as a child being told this about wild baby birds. Don't touch!!

There is a likelihood the calf was lost or abandoned by its mother. That happens with that species. If it was abandoned, it would not have made a difference if the people left it alone or took it in their car, looking for help.

NizhoniGrrrl said:

The ignorance of so many people is profound. Sad. I remember as a child being told this about wild baby birds. Don't touch!!

You shouldn't touch baby birds because usually the parents are nearby and will care for it, but it is a myth that the mother bird will reject the baby if it is touched or handled by someone.  I have picked up baby blue jays on occasion and put them up on a branch since our neighborhood is full of cats and on the ground they are just bon bons waiting to be eaten.

ETA:  I don't recommend picking up baby blue jays unless you have some sort of helmet to protect your head.

They were unable to get the herd to take the calf back, and had to euthanize it.  

FilmCarp said:

They were unable to get the herd to take the calf back, and had to euthanize it.  

It is possible the calf had been abandoned before these people grabbed it, which would explain why it was weak and separated. I'm not defending their taking it, they were wrong and I am glad they were ticketed. I'm just not convinced that it was abandoned because they touched it. 

People have always been ignorant but now they walk around with delusions of becoming Youtube sensations.

spontaneous said:

FilmCarp said:

They were unable to get the herd to take the calf back, and had to euthanize it.  

It is possible the calf had been abandoned before these people grabbed it, which would explain why it was weak and separated. I'm not defending their taking it, they were wrong and I am glad they were ticketed. I'm just not convinced that it was abandoned because they touched it. 

I think you are correct about that.  Mama bison might not have let them touch the calf if it had not already been abandoned.

But nature already has a plan for those situations. Wolves gotta eat too.

I think it was arrogant and irresponsible of the ersatz rescuers. It was reported that they drove the bison to a ranger station and demanded that the ranger come out immediately to attend to the bison. It would have been easier and more appropriate to find the nearest ranger and ask him/her about the bison's condition. It's another example of lay people thinking they know more than the experts. Happens in the education field, in medicine, nutrition, and a host of other fields as well.

I can't believe they only received a fine of $110. 

RobB said:

But nature already has a plan for those situations. Wolves gotta eat too.

I agree with this, as sad as it is they should have let nature take its course.  There are times to intervene, endangered animals or animals that need help because of human interference (hit by a car, sick from being fed by the tourists, etc) but it doesn't sound like this applies.

Sweetsnuggles said:

I can't believe they only received a fine of $110. 

That is just wrong.

RobB said:

But nature already has a plan for those situations. Wolves gotta eat too.

Yes, and I suspect wolves prefer live baby bison over dead ones. Perhaps the baby had a defect which led the herd to reject it, making it perfect food for predators. Why euthanize it?

In a National Park there is no circumstance where you interfere. You find a ranger and let the people who are trained to deal with these situations handle it.  The End.

bub said:

People have always been ignorant but now they walk around with delusions of becoming Youtube sensations.

I just saw a story where people were taking "selfies" while standing next to bison.  What is this world coming to?  Do these people realize that these are wild animals?  All it takes is for one of them to be having a bad day or not feeling well.  These animals can kill you, very easily.

Nature's herd-thinning doesn't apply to humans often enough. 

Instead of letting nature take its course with regard to the moronic perpetrators of this act, they should have immediately been deported preferably to Antarctica or Mars.  What a bunch of stupid ignorant jackasses.

While I get the impulse they had to "rescue" the calf, they should have gone to get a ranger. If they had asked, they would have learned the park's approach to letting the wildlife in the park live in their natural environment the way Nature intended...which can be rough on sick babies and other weak links. It isn't a zoo. I always cringe when the lion kills the gazelle on nature shows, but that's the way it is for animals in the wild, and that is what Yellowstone is doing: letting people experience wildlife the way it really is.

Only an awful lot of humans don't understand that at all.