A Nebraska woman stopped to let bison pass recently while driving through Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge, and received a free car wash.
The accompanying footage, captured by Kelly Keogh, shows one of the massive mammals licking the side of her Chevy Malibu in a thorough and vigorous manner, as if being careful not to miss a spot.
Keogh, who made her amusing footage public this week, told For The Win Outdoors that the bison most likely was attracted to road salt that had spun up from the tires and clung to her car.
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“It went on for 3-4 minutes,” she said. “There were other [bison] in front of me on the road and they weren’t moving very fast… and it’s not wise to rush them or anything.
“This one just started licking my car and he got close to my window so I quickly rolled it up and he licked my window just as I got it it rolled up.”
Of course, Keogh acknowledged, it was the kind of car wash that required its own cleanup after her trip through the park. “I had to wash it off, yes,” she said.
Bison are North America’s largest land mammals and males can weigh 2,000 pounds and stand 6 feet tall at the shoulders.
Fort Niobrara NWR is home to about 350 of the iconic critters.
–Images and video are courtesy of Kelly Keogh
