Sad ending...

[Shadowman]

http://fusion.net/story/302846/cold-...on-euthanized/

I saw a similar incident in the city once, a coworker spotted a baby rabbit on the grass near our workplace, cowering near the wall of the building, so the coworker picked up the rabbit and placed it in the middle of the grassy area I suppose to give it the incentive to go off towards the woods. No sooner did he turn his back and a bird swooped down and grabbed it in its claws, the mother was nearby and ran towards the bird but it was too late.

[bnnrcn]

I decided not to look at the link after reading your explanation John, it is obvious that it is SAD

[Shadowman]

I decided not to look at the link after reading your explanation John, it is obvious that it is SAD

Hi Binnur,

Yes, the link is just a cautionary warning about interacting with nature.

[IzzieK]

I will look at it later, John...after breakfast.

[mknittle]

I think that should have been handled differently. maybe adopted out to an animal park or something like that. But then I may be expecting too much.

[Shadowman]

I think that should have been handled differently. maybe adopted out to an animal park or something like that. But then I may be expecting too much.

Mark,

I wondered about that also, it seems they took a bit of time trying to reintroduce the calf to its mother, so why not go further; unless time away from her had already complicated matters.

[AlwaysOnAuto]

I think a calf that young would require hand feeding so that was probably a limiting factor in what could/could not be done in such short order.
Hopefully the Rangers will make this an example that they can use to educate the public going into the park now.

STAY AWAY from the animals!

[chauncey]

Ya still gotta try...

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Knowing the type of people that become park rangers, I'm sure it hurt them deeply to have to put the calf down.

[NorthernFocus]

Recall the old saying, "the path to hell is paved with good intentions". Particularly where nature is concerned this seems to hold true.

We lived in western Washington state for several years. Harbor seals bring their pups ashore on PNW beaches to feed them and let them rest. Then they leave them there sleeping while they go out to fish. Well meaning beach walkers find them and thinking they are abandoned pick them up and take them with them and call Dept. of Fish and Game etc. They can't all be adopted out. There are only so many zoos etc.

Similarly, in AK if you call to report an orphaned moose calf, depending on where it is located the authorities either come put it down or simply tell you that nature will take its course. And if you do anything to try to help it you risk prosecution. You can apply for a permit to harbor wildlife but of course not in time to help a stranded animal.

[mknittle]

I think a calf that young would require hand feeding so that was probably a limiting factor in what could/could not be done in such short order.
Hopefully the Rangers will make this an example that they can use to educate the public going into the park now.

STAY AWAY from the animals!

There are rescue organizations that specialize in wild life. I think it is more bureaucracy than anything.

[flashback]

I suppose that the calf could have *maybe* benn handed off to a wildlife rehabilitator, of course that costs time and money and just imagine if the Park Service tried to bill those dimwits a few thousand dollars (or more) for the rehab, a lot of people would find that egregious.

I think the Park Service should name the knuckleheads from Vancouver B.C. and publicly shame them. I really don't care how morally right they *think* they were, it was their ignorance that caused the death of the calf. (Of course maybe it's a *thing* up there in the great white north wanting to, you know, *help* the homeless.)

Trying to find some mortality rates specific to bison calves but no luck yet. Mostly mortality rates are dependent upon the mother's health coming out of the winter. Longer, harder winters drive down calf survivals. Predation does play some part but from what I've read predation seems more to drive adult rates more so than calf survival.

The YNP bison herds I believe are fairly substantial and are doing well, so the lost of a calf due to human stupidity, while inexcusable is certainly not a threat to the herd(s). The report states that the calf was standing in the road and approaching humans so there may have been a some bonding with humans. And apparently the mother was disinterested in claiming her calf. But for those who think euthanizing the calf cruel or unethical, it could have been left alone where it would have likely died from malnutrition (a fairly slow death), hit by other humans in vehicles or taken down by a wolf pack and eaten alive. So yeah, euthanasia seems a really humane way to deal with it (Oh, unless somebody is going to get offended thinking I'm calling him (or her) inhumane.)

And no, it's not worth a try. A lot a animals do not do well in rehab. And the best chance the calf had (you know, besides just living out its bisony life on the plains) would have been to give it to a bison ranch, where it would have been nurtured, penned with others its age, and then raised to slaughter. (BTW bison is pretty good eats, a tetch gamey, not marbled fat like beef and basically better for humans than beef. Bison however suffer the same fate as cattle so they may not be in favor of it.)

[NorthernFocus]

What happened to the nature lovers' creed, "take only pictures, leave only footprints"? Nature lovers need to content themselves with hugging trees. Big ones. No harm done

On an only slightly related topic, a couple of years ago, after YEARS of arguments in the courts, the state of Alaska reintroduced woods bison into the wild. They had been hunted to (local) extinction 125 years ago. They released 130 animals that were raised in captivity from wild stock captured in Canada. After two winters and one breeding season the herd is down net three animals. They are currently calving so should be up by about 10 percent here in a couple of weeks. And no doubt a few less shortly thereafter once the wolves and bear are done with them

[LePetomane]

This stuff really irritates me. I spend a lot of time in the wild areas in Wyoming and our motto is, "When you go outside you are entering the food chain and are not at the top anymore." Leave the wild animals alone and they will leave you alone.

[IzzieK]

OK...I read the article...it is not gory at all, just a warning not to get involved with "rescue" of animals like the bison. Thanks for the link.

[Wavelength]

Reading this link kept me thoughtful... there are situations when things need help, I feel. Actually, all the animals we call domestic were once wild, I think.... . In Kerala on several occasions, baby elephants fall in trenches (natural or otherwise) from where they cannot come out. The herd of elephants would stay around for several days, until the thing dies, helpless. and sometimes the foresters dig the side and make way for the little one to come out, by keeping away the family for sometimes, when the family waits at some distance. Once it comes out, it happily joins the group and it is happily received too. I think a generalization is not correct always.... that was not an expert's opinion, of course