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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Community Comment

A bison with an attitude…

Good morning, Netizens...


This video, taken from KREM-2, shows how utterly stupid people can get. The video at http://www.krem.com/video?id=99070324&sec=550262 shows two people who apparently are operating without a clue, approach a bull bison in Yellowstone National Park. Someone, and it remains to be seen who that person was, threw something at the bison, and because it is always an unpredictable and temperamental beast, it charged the people attempting to take a picture of it from close range.


Have you ever had a close encounter with a bison? I've seen a bison with an attitude punch a hole in the side of a Subaru decades ago, perhaps simply because the tourists in the car were using a flash bulb in their camera. It doesn't take a lot to aggravate these mammoth one ton beasts, as the warning signs plainly posted throughout Yellowstone all say.


The victim, Cathy Hayes, in this case, got some good bruises and a sore knee. She was lucky as she could have hurt much worse. Park regulations require people to stay at least 25 yards away from most animals like bison and elk, and at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves at all times. Those who fail to abide by these requirements not only put themselves in danger, they may also be subject to a citation and fine.


This was a school teacher from Utah. Something comes to mind, a piece from Crosby, Stills and Nash about “Teach your children well...”. One could only hope Mrs. Hayes will teach her children to stay a safe distance from bison, and above all else, do not do anything to irk them.


Dave



Spokesman-Review readers blog about news and issues in Spokane written by Dave Laird.