The opportunity to see wildlife — from common sightings of birds and squirrels to the thrill of seeing elk or even bears — is one of the reasons that we go into state and national parks, forestlands and the shore, a chance to see animals in their habitat without the separation of glass or cages.
But that doesn’t always work out for the animals, or even the humans.
Most recently a bison calf at Yellowstone National Park was euthanized after its mother rejected it following contact with two park visitors. A father and son had spotted the calf and thought it looked cold. The temperature that day ranged between a high in the 50s to a low of 39, fairly balmy for a bison. Nevertheless, the pair loaded the calf into the back of their SUV and took it to a ranger station. It wasn’t a good day for the nation’s new national mammal.
Rangers attempted to reunite the calf with its mother, but the calf was rejected because of its contact with humans — not uncommon in the animal world — and was euthanized. The well-meaning but ill-informed tourists were cited for violating park rules regarding contact with wildlife.
Believing a bison would get cold sounds absurd, but many of us seem to lose common sense when we see wildlife, particularly young animals. Feeding animals, which is unhealthy for the animals and can create a dependence on humans, has long been a problem between wildlife and humans, most recently joined by those looking to get close enough for a good selfie to post on Facebook.
And with the approach of the birthing season for harbor seal pups later next month, it’s certain someone will see a pup alone on a beach and believe it’s been abandoned and, like our bison calf, needs to be “rescued.” In almost all cases, the pups have not been abandoned; the mother is nearby and nurses the pup at night. In cases where pups or seals are truly injured or in distress, people can call the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s hotline at 866-767-6114.
As with all marine mammals, people should keep back about 100 yards; and dogs should be on a leash. Likewise, the national parks ask visitors to stay 100 yards back from bears and wolves and keep 25 yards between themselves and other wildlife.
We’re not discouraging the notion of people going into parks and forests to view wildlife. That definitely should be happening. It provides a valuable education and appreciation for wildlife and the habitat that they live in and serves to protect both.
There’s even an argument to be made that the presence of humans can be beneficial for wildlife.
A recent paper in the journal Yellowstone Science described the change in policy regarding the interaction between bears and humans at Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park. Since 1990, park staff have allowed grizzly and black bears to become habituated — accustomed — to the presence of humans, while discouraging feeding and food sources that would cause problems and require bears to be relocated or euthanized. Since the change, while “bear jams” have become common when traffic backs up to allow people to watch bears in a roadside meadow, there have been no bear attacks on visitors. Visitors were injured, but those injuries were caused by traffic accidents. Sadly, bears and other wildlife also die from vehicle strikes.
For the last two years, the national parks have seen a record number of visitors, more than 307 million last year alone. In its centennial year, the National Park Service can expect another record year for visitors, which means more exposure between humans and wildlife.
By keeping a distance that is safe for human and beast we can assure a rewarding experience. We recommend a pair or binoculars.
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