What started out as an apparently well-intentioned move by tourists who placed a young bison in the back of their vehicle because they believed it looked cold, has ended in no small sadness.
On Monday, officials at Yellowstone National Park revealed that the calf had to be put down after being rejected by its herd.
“The bison calf was later euthanised because it was abandoned and causing a dangerous situation by continually approaching people and cars along the roadway,” the park said in a statement.
The incident last week when the bison was loaded into the trunk of an SUV because the tourists believed it looked cold, led to fresh warnings that park rules require visitors to stay at least 25 yards from all wildlife and 100 yards from bears and wolves.
Visitors had taken the newborn calf to a park facility on May 9, which officials called a dangerous move because adult bison are protective and will attack to defend their young. Rangers took the animal back to where it was picked up, but they could not get it back with the herd after several tries.
The visitors were cited for touching park wildlife and fined $110, Yellowstone spokeswoman Charissa Reid said. She declined to name the visitors or issue a copy of the citation amid the investigation, the Associated Press said.
Five visitors were seriously injured last year after getting too close to the the animals.
“This year we’ve added translations of the safety signage and provide park newspaper translations in a number of different languages,” Ms Reid.
