A video showing someone attempting to "shoo" a massive bison sparked disbelief online, as viewers reacted to yet another human-animal encounter.
Shared in r/WinStupidPrizes, the clip highlights a dangerous pattern we've seen across the country: people getting too close to wild animals.
(Click here to watch the video if the embed does not appear.)
In the video, the woman is only a few feet away from three bison, who reportedly escaped their enclosure. Rather than backing away, the woman, who was also the bison's rancher, waves a towel at them. It seems she was trying to "shoo" them away from the crowd of onlookers that had gathered to watch the situation. The bison charged at her, knocking her to the ground and injuring her leg.
Many people assumed she was a random person behaving recklessly, with one commenter saying, "It is inexcusable to be this old and that dumb."
However, she was actually the bison's owner. Still, it's easy to understand how viewers assumed it was yet another park visitor getting too close to wildlife.
Despite rangers' warning that wildlife needs at least 25 yards of distance at all times — with some, like bears and wolves, requiring 100 yards of space — people disregard that advice too often.
Encounters like this don't just put people at risk — they also harm wildlife. When an animal injures someone, even if provoked, authorities sometimes euthanize it. Sadly, these bison were all killed.
"For the safety of the community and the fact that the bison was moving into a populated area, the on-scene deputies euthanized the bison," the Franklin County Sheriff's office said.
Unfortunately, with human development, increased tourism, and resource shortages, human-wildlife encounters are becoming more common. People can better coexist with wild animals by respecting their space, securing food and trash, not feeding them, and reporting sightings to authorities.
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Definitely 👍 Commenters didn't hold back their concern.
One wrote, "I suspect the bison broke free bc the enclosure was not big enough. These are bovine, you don't shoo away a bovine, especially if there's a large gawking crowd."
Another added, "I really feel for her and her family. This bison ranch was their livelihood, and now they're out two bulls and a new cow. That's big money."
A third said: "Unfortunately people started gathering in droves, literally standing in the road and blocking traffic. The human commotion added frenzy for the distressed animals."
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