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USDA Wildlife Services euthanizes approximately 1.5 to 2 million animals annually. These deaths occur due to animal-human conflict, rabies, erratic behavior, or animals getting too close to human developments. But in the case of the tourist who was tossed into the air by Yellowstone's raging bison last week, luck has won out.
Reports from TMZ confirm that the bison responsible for attacking 65-year-old tourist Carl Isom-McDaniel will not be put down. No further information was provided by the National Park Service (NPS), only a warning: During rutting season, bison are especially aggressive.
No Fault On The Part Of The Yellowstone Bison
Onlookers believe that Isom-McDaniel was standing at least 75 feet from the bison that attacked him, which is the recommended distance from most wildlife in Yellowstone National Park. Despite this, the bull continued to charge at Isom-McDaniel and his grandson. The two ran, with his grandson evading the bison, but Isom-McDaniel was not so lucky.
The bison hooked the man with a horn to the hip, flipping him eight feet into the air. Thankfully, the animal took no further action to injure the tourist. Isom-McDaniel still walked away with several broken bones, but is otherwise on the mend at the time of writing. He was even joking while waiting for medical personnel, telling The Guardian that it "was not as catastrophic as it could’ve been."
"There was little time to decide what to do. At that point, he was within 100 yards; he could be to us in seconds, so I told my grandson to run in one direction and I went the other to try [to] draw him away. When I was on the ground immobile, unable to move, he was right on top of me. He could have stomped on me; he could have gored me; he could have done almost anything to take my life. And he did not do so," Isom-McDaniel tells The Guardian.
Given the distance between Isom-McDaniel and his grandson and the bison, authorities believe it was displaying natural behavior for this time of year. While it's still unclear why the bull targeted this tourist, specifically, the fact that it had a target at all is not surprising.
Rutting season makes bulls especially aggressive, irritated by the slightest disruption. A group of tourists at a campground such as this one was the perfect storm for a raging bison. So, in this instance, it would seem park officials won't be taking any action against the animal. But even so, euthanasia guidelines are exceptionally strict.
Animal Euthanasia Guidelines Are Strict
The most obvious reason for euthanizing an animal is typically due to aggressive behavior or an incurable illness. While this is true in many cases, there are many more reasons USDA Wildlife Services may choose to end an animal's life. Luckily, for the Yellowstone bison, this scenario met none of those conditions.
Roughly 75,000 to 90,000 bison, which are also used for their meat, are killed annually between the U.S. and Canada. State and federal agencies also cull bison populations to maintain herds, which adds to their euthanasia numbers. Even with sport hunting, Yellowstone's bison are typically safe from the USDA Wildlife Service standards for killing a wild animal.
The NPS determined that Yellowstone bison were extremely aggressive due to the height of the rutting season, making their behavior unpredictable.
In this case, the bison was confirmed to be at its peak during mating season. Its behavior was not erratic by authority standards, despite seeming so to the concerned onlookers around it. Since the bison was also not taunted, goaded, or pushed to give chase, no reason stands to kill it.
Although Yellowstone National Park has not updated its news section about the recent incident, it has made clear that no management action will be taken. At the time of writing, the NPS says says there are "no further details to share." In late June, a 12-year-old child was injured by a bison in Yellowstone, about which the park posted the following:
"Wildlife in Yellowstone are wild and can be dangerous. Wild animals can be aggressive when people do not respect their space. Visitors are responsible for staying at least 25 yards away from all large animals, including bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose and coyotes, and at least 100 yards away from bears, wolves and cougars. If wildlife approach you, move away to maintain the required distance. Never approach, touch, feed or crowd wildlife, even if an animal appears calm."
The NPS added, "Bison have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal. They are unpredictable, can run three times faster than humans, and will defend their space when threatened." The case of Isom-McDaniel was rare, especially since visitors to Yellowstone keep their distance from wildlife. If nothing else, it serves as a warning to future visitors to respect a region's native species.
