Springtime in the Rockies


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Posted by Ballpark Frank (24.237.83.208) on 11:58:32 06/16/13

In Reply to: Video of playful buffalo at Old Faithful posted by Dan M.

Dan,

I've watched yearling bison cavorting like this in other parts of the park as early as late February or March, once the snow starts disappearing on the Northern Range. I've never witnessed the behavior in the geyser basins. There is one critter that is definitely not a yearling, which makes this behavior exceptional. The ground pawing smacks of rut behavior, but I'm sure it is just play behavior or the assertion of dominance.

It is a bit spooky to contemplate one or more of those behemoths zooming across one of the boardwalks. I've seen cows and calves jump as high as 5 or 6 feet to clear a railing along a boardwalk at Mud Volcano, landing on the boardwalk, after jumping up from wet, muddy ground below the boardwalk, in winter. They are much more nimble than we think. Just like older kids roughhousing sometimes injures much younger bystanders, these furry characters could put a hurt on humans, without malice aforethought. Once again, we have an example of how Yellowstone is not a zoo, and we are not protected from its wildlife by fences or moats!

Cool video. Wish I could have witnessed that firsthand. Thanks for the post.

Ballpark



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