If this massive bull bison wanted to, he could flip this Yellowstone visitor’s truck. Instead, he settles for popping their tire with one hard ram.
What’s a Dodge Ram compared to a bison bull? This Yellowstone National Park footage pretty much settles the debate.
As Tourons of Yellowstone cites, “This couple was driving along in Yellowstone during the bison rut and a rutting bison popped their tire! No proof of them being actual tourons, just a video about being bison aware. You never know what those wild beasts are going to do!”
Their synopsis may be a bit generous, however. Having your windows rolled down and stopping this close to a bison are both big no’s. Especially during The Rut when this was filmed.
“Sorry about the quality of the video, someone recorded it off of the news and sent it to me,” Tourons continues. Considering this was filmed during rutting season, the clip can’t be too recent. Bison Rut in Yellowstone lasts from June to September, with peak activity in July and August. And when it’s on, bulls can be hyper aggressive as hormones rage:
Video Extra: Yellowstone bison charges car, pops tire. KTVQ News
Finding the original video also shows this intense event took place in August of 2020. Right on schedule for peak Rut. It’s gone viral again courtesy of Tourons of Yellowstone’s Instagram yesterday.
Regardless of when it was filmed, this clip is an excellent reminder (as their page says) of being bison aware. If you’re around bison during Rut, keeping your distance is the name of the game.
Bison Rut in Yellowstone gets intense, and fast
“Breeding is strongly seasonal and very promiscuous,” the park notes of this time of year. North American Bison (Bison bison) aren’t monogamous, either, which means bulls are constantly on the move to mate with as many females as they can.
While bulls display this strong polygynous nature, cows, or females, will only mate with a single bull. As you can imagine, this creates fierce competition between the bulls. These giants, the largest land mammals on our continent, will fight to the death over prized females, too.
Getting in the way of any of this is highly dangerous even in a vehicle, but exceptionally so on foot. In kind, the park has strict wildlife regulations in place that, if broken, are punishable by large fines and jail time.
When in Yellowstone National Park, never approach or feed wildlife.
The animals in Yellowstone are wild and unpredictable, no matter how calm they appear to be. The safest (and often best) view of wildlife is from inside a car. If The Rut is on, however, do not use your vehicle to approach wildlife. The above video is an excellent example of why.
On foot, park regulations require visitors to stay at least 100 yards (91 m) away from bears and wolves, and at least 25 yards (23 m) away from all other animals, including bison and elk.
This article by Jon D. B. was first published by The Outsider on 13 May 2023. Lead Image: A large bull bison from the genetically pure bison herd Yellowstone National Park grazes on the Blacktail Plateau in YNP. (Photo by William Campbell/Corbis via Getty Images).
What you can do
Support ‘Fighting for Wildlife’ by donating as little as $1 – It only takes a minute. Thank you.
Fighting for Wildlife supports approved wildlife conservation organizations, which spend at least 80 percent of the money they raise on actual fieldwork, rather than administration and fundraising. When making a donation you can designate for which type of initiative it should be used – wildlife, oceans, forests or climate.
Leave a Reply