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Boy Gets Too Close To Bison
It is sad that children must suffer from the cluelessness of their parents. Here’s the latest example, from the Jackson Hole Daily:
A 12-year-old Pennsylvania boy was flipped in the air by a bison near the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone on Friday.
A mature bull bison, apparently annoyed at the close proximity of the boy, tossed him approximately 10 feet in the air.
Witnesses said the boy was posing for pictures with members of his family within one to two feet of the animal despite repeated warnings from other visitors to move further away.
There ought to be a test to become a parent.....Geez....
Jim
Posted by: jstreet | July 01, 2008 at 12:09 PM
Saw this yesterday - it is sad that an adult can be so ignorant about wildlife as to put their child in harms way like that. They aren't the only ones, either - countless people have gotten away with it in Yellowstone. Just take a drive through there sometime and watch the stupidity of people - I tend to think an animal that weighs over a ton deserves a little respect for it's ability to be a little bit tougher than a human.
Posted by: Tom Sorenson | July 01, 2008 at 12:37 PM
Natural selection at work
Posted by: joe | July 01, 2008 at 01:42 PM
I read that the kids appears to have survived his toss. Bison play by bison rules, there are no debates. Size matters. Rest assured that bison seem to enjoy squishing humans. I hunt geese in a field next to a bison pasture. Noble idea but I wouldn't dream of chasing a wounded bird in that pasture without the rancher with me.
Posted by: Brian T | July 01, 2008 at 02:14 PM
The boy was 12. He has his own brain (a small one a that) and it was not his parents fault he was that dumb. Of course it probably runs in the family...
Posted by: matt | July 01, 2008 at 03:37 PM
Matt, You're wrong! Kids do what their parents seemingly tell them is safe (most of the time). The boy is from Pennsylvania and has probably never seen a bison except on tv. His parents are probably PETA backers and thought it was cute to put their son 3 feet from a wild animal. The blame falls squarely on the ignorant parents.
Posted by: Kim | July 01, 2008 at 06:47 PM
Come on matt....are you his dad?
Posted by: as moeggs | July 01, 2008 at 07:24 PM
how stupid do you have to be to get anywhere near a wild animal that can weigh up to a ton and easily kill you? or for that matter, why would a parent send a kid into a risky situation just for a picture? this is just a case of terrible parenting and a lack of respect for a dangerous animal.
Posted by: zak | July 01, 2008 at 08:38 PM
there is enough blame for both the parents and the kid, they may be from PA,(and they have bison ranches there) they have plenty of bulls, and who would stand two feet from a bull?! Most likely the same people that would tease the dog that bites them!
Posted by: RJ | July 01, 2008 at 11:53 PM
Yes the kids and the parents are idiots, but lets look at a third cause. The bison are not allowed to migrate in and out of the park naturally. They are forced to stay in the park because the ranchers don't like them on BLM land. So they are exposed to large numbers of people and thus have no fear of people. They are wild animals that are not really allowed to be wild because of ranchers.
Posted by: Matt M | July 02, 2008 at 12:42 AM
matt-get your facts straight. there is little to no BLM land on the park borders. they are not allowed to wander very far from the park because of the diseases they carry and a good chunk of the land around the park is private property. the bison tend to walk right through standard barb wire fences or jump them (yes, they can) onto the private ranches. the bison herd was never intended to be a free-ranging herd. the fact is they are around millions of people each year and they are still wild, dangerous animals.
Posted by: tom | July 02, 2008 at 03:11 AM
"hey billy...see that gator there"
"yeah, the one with his big ol mouth open?"
"yeah, that un. Go and stick yer hand in it while'n I take this here picture"
"Ok, Pa"
I was always tuaght to listen to my parents blindly until they tried to kill me...in this case the boy should blown his idiot parents off for that photo op.
Posted by: | July 02, 2008 at 10:39 AM
The picture was probably good remembrance of a family vacation out to Yellow Stone Park. But, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to know not to go close to wild animals in their habitat. Hopefully the kid recovers and they will learn from their mistake
Posted by: Kyle | July 02, 2008 at 11:12 AM
I've said for decades that people should have to pass a battery of tests to 'get' children, not merely to adopt them - this is just one more bit of proof. As for where to put the blame? On the parents and on Disney, whose film about Bambi is responsible, I believe, for much of this kind of stupidity. Tain't the buffalo's fault; it's the humans'. These parents and their boy are from the "only animals that think"? HAH!
Posted by: Carel Two-Eagle | July 02, 2008 at 01:26 PM
Strange this article popped up just after I posted a column in the Anderson Independent Mail for Friday's issue warning tourists to beware of bison. They look docile and lethargic, but are very fast when antagonized. Always respect their comfort zone. Parents keep close watch of children when viewing wildlife.
Posted by: Larry Ross | July 02, 2008 at 02:12 PM
Some people shouldn't be allowed to breed.
Posted by: Blue Ox | July 02, 2008 at 05:28 PM
I am relieved the boy was not seiously injured and I do hope all involved learned something from that incident.
Posted by: JohnR | July 02, 2008 at 06:04 PM
the parents are f@@@n morons! they even give you pamphlets that say the bison are dangerous right at the gates. not that that you have to be a genius to figure that out on your own! happens every year out here some dumbass gets hurt by a bison. hope it was worth the photo!
Posted by: jason | July 02, 2008 at 06:44 PM
I don't understand all the disney movies i have ever watched tell me animals think talk and act like people, didn't the bison know the boy was nice and why didn't the bison just ask them to leave him alone?
Posted by: Joshua | July 02, 2008 at 07:20 PM
More proof that you can't tame people any more than animals. Although with proper training and treatment they both show signs of learned behavior. I hope they learned thier lesson from this charade of stupidity.
Posted by: Barry | July 03, 2008 at 09:51 AM
Do the words " WILD ANIMAL" not mean anything anymore? Has Disney clouded the publics minds to the point where parents say to their kids, "Go over there and we'll get your picture with the "Lion King" or "Bambi" or "Kung Fu Panda". COMMON SENSE PEOPLE !!!!
Posted by: Orland K | July 04, 2008 at 01:18 AM
not everyone is capable of thinking past the tip of their nose. A very simple thought for consideration .... "You can not fix stupid"
Posted by: charles slusser | July 04, 2008 at 07:35 PM
I am never amazed at the stupidity of white people. They always want to push things to the limit. No I am not a racist in any way, shape form or fashion. I am just making an honest observation. When was the last time you heard of a black man being attacked by a wild animal (never). On land or sea people just don't seem to understand that animals are WILD !!!!
Posted by: Bill | July 05, 2008 at 01:42 PM
Bill
Rodney King
Posted by: Ecoli | July 05, 2008 at 09:40 PM