Just when I think people can't be that stupid

[craig333]

http://www.eastidahonews.com/2016/05/yellowstone-tourists-worried-bison-calf-is-cold-so-they-put-it-in-their-car/

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

They never fail to amaze me.

 

[N'kwala]

The mind boggles.

 

[MarkBC]

Yep. Maybe the Park Service could distribute solar powered electric blankets for Yellowstone critters...

 

[Bill D]

What amazes me even more is how clean the SUV is. Even if it was a rental, it's odd to see people travelling with no bags etc.

 

[ski3pin]

I expect this is a common occurrence when young are found by tourists without a mother next to it.

It is hard to fathom the disconnect most people have with the realities of the natural world.

 

[MarkBC]

I expect this is a common occurrence when young are found by tourists without a mother next to it...

Absolutely -- fish&wildlife folks are always trying to remind people: "When you see an 'abandoned' baby animal, leave it alone and leave the area"... but some people don't get it.
It's the same misplaced 'concern' for wild animals that leads people to put food out for deer in the winter. Someone in my neighborhood does that...

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

So to put some 'feel good' back into nature... We just got back from dinner with our youngest to find that our Chestnut-backed Chickadees have young. We had an old ornamental bird house that sat on the deck for a couple of years, but this year Salty (Dog of the Desert) started showing unusual interest in it.

The Bride set it up off the deck, and a chickadee flew out. Tonight is the first night we've heard hatchlings.

 

[Happyjax]

Make it idiot proof and someone will make a better idiot

 

[jackattack]

The calf was euthanized when Rangers were unable, after several attempts, to reintroduce it into the herd.

 

[ski3pin]

that is a sad end to the story.

Bison Calf Euthanized

 

[DrJ]

That's terrible. What a sad end to that story.

 

[Bill D]

It's bad that the tourists intervened, but it's also quite possible that the herd had rejected the calf prior to the encounter with the tourists and that's why they found it on its own.

 

[Kolockum]

Unfortunately these types of things (usually not this serious) happen with brain numbing frequency. I have seen plenty of people try to pet bison along with other WTF moments. If your into people watching the big parks are a great place to go, they are more like busy malls in a scenic location.

 

[Happyjax]

Why didn't they put it in a zoo? No reason to kill the little fella. I want to beat the crap out of somebody.......

 

[Basin Deranged]

We used to see this regularly here in West Marin. Well-meaning animal lovers with very little understanding of the natural world find "abandoned" young seals and decide to "help" them. The first thing they notice about their new little "friend" is that it feels cold to the touch... Time to warm it up, maybe with blankets, maybe with the car heater, much to the detriment of the pup which often does not survive the "help."

I hope that the proliferation of educational signage by the National Park Service and other entities in recent years has curtailed most of this sort of activity by people who don't seem to understand the difference between their Labrador and a wild animal.

 

[BillM]

This is why I assume everyone I meet is an idiot until they prove otherwise.

 

[craig333]

Indeed, sad ending