A Yellowstone River crossing nearly turned disastrous when eight bison calves were swept into the current after trailing their mother, though video shows all of them eventually making it out.
During the crossing, the adult bison reaches the bank, but eight of her nine calves are carried downstream.
As The Weather Channel observed, the young bison are caught by the fast water right away, leaving them with little time to react.
The clip, posted by Andrea Baratte (@montanawild_), shows the mother on shore as the calves are still in the river. Four manage to veer toward the edge almost immediately, find shallow water, and make their way back to her.
The remaining four are swept farther along and have a harder time getting out. Again and again, they burst up from the water trying to land where it is shallow enough to stand, but the current keeps dragging them on.
Farther downstream, a slight bend gives them their chance: the water is shallower there, allowing the calves to jump toward the side, get their footing, and head back toward the herd.
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Eventually, each calf makes it back to its mother.
In winter and spring, Yellowstone bison move along rivers and streams during migration, which can make crossings especially risky for young calves.
For much of their first year, calves depend heavily on their mothers for protection, even as the herd keeps traveling to find food.
In fast-moving water, a young calf can be swept away, drown, or end up separated from the herd for good.
Users filled the video's comment section with relief and also some advice for bystanders.
"Glad they all made it!" one wrote.
"Don't touch the baby bison!" another cautioned any potential bystanders to instances like this. "The mother will reject them if they have human smell on them."
"I was relieved that you added the success story ending in the caption cause my heart couldn't take watching them go down the river!" said one more. "Love this shot. Thank you for sharing!"
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