Bison can be as brazen as they'd like in Yellowstone National Park, but some visitors feel entitled to do whatever they'd like while they're there. Nearly 8 million people have viewed a viral video showing what happens when headstrong tourists ignore the rules and get too close to local wildlife.
In late May, wildlife photographer and Yellowstone resident Julie Argyle captured a video — which she posted Saturday — of two tourists getting too close to a boisterous bison. The tourists narrowly avoid a serious or potentially fatal injury, even after a throng of other tourists and a Yellowstone ranger tried to warn them.
"A number of people told them that wasn't a good place to be," Argyle said. "They heard us and acknowledged that they weren't listening to us."
When Argyle posted the video over the weekend, it immediately captured the attention and ire of millions of people. Many people think actions should have consequences, and these tourists should have to deal with the ramifications of their decisions.
Even while being frustrated at their brazen behavior, Argyle said she will always do what she can to save people from themselves in Yellowstone.
"I would never want to see anyone get harmed by a bison," she said. "I may be frustrated because they didn't listen in the first place, but I think human compassion is very important."
"Slide Down The Damn Hill"
The incident Argyle captured on film occurred on Grizzly Hill in Yellowstone's Hayden Valley at the beginning of the summer season in late May. Argyle and dozens of other people were on the other side of the road watching wolves while three young bison tussled with each other on the hill.
"These bison were roughhousing and bumping heads as they came up from the river," she said. "We made the conscious decision to go across the road to avoid them and stopped several people from going up the hill, telling them that wasn't a very good place to be because of the bison."
While wolf-watching, Argyle noticed two tourists making their way up Grizzly Hill. As she and several others shouted at them about the bison, the tourists acknowledged they were ignoring the warnings.
"We definitely made them aware of the bison, and they didn't really care," she said. "One of them put their hand up as if to say, 'Yeah, we know, whatever.' We were warning them not to go there, but they made the choice to go there anyway."
The determined tourists crested, blissfully ignoring the bison less than 20 meters away. After 10 minutes, they turned their backs on the boisterous animal, utterly untroubled, as they made their way back to the road with their trekking poles.
That's when the bison charged. One of the tourists narrowly missed serious injury as the bison ran and lunged toward them at a full gallop but missed.
Despite a near-miss with a 1,000-pound animal, the tourists didn't seem all that fazed by it. They briefly broke into a jog until calmly descending Grizzly Hill.
People kept shouting at the tourists, telling them to "slide down the damn hill" to avoid further antagonizing the bison. When they reached their vehicle, a Yellowstone ranger who witnessed their foolhardy actions was waiting to give them a stern warning.
"When she pulled up, we told her that we'd been telling them not to go up there, and they continued doing what they wanted to do," Argyle said. "She kept saying they were way too close. I can confirm she spoke to them."
Bison Beats Everything
Yellowstone's summer season got off to a bad start when a 47-year-old Florida man was gored by a bison near Lake Village on May 4. A month later, a 30-year-old New Jersey man was gored by a bison near Old Faithful.
There have been only two confirmed bison-related deaths in Yellowstone's history, but that shouldn't lull any visitor into a false sense of safety. The National Park Service routinely states that bison are the park's most dangerous animals.
"I'm more worried about bison than any grizzly or wolf," Argyle said. "You never know how they're going to react to that kind of stuff."
Argyle noted that she was particularly concerned by the tussling bison because they were already acting up. Approaching a placid bison is risky enough, but these young bison were already amped up and energized.
"They weren't adults, but they weren't small, either," she said. "They were out there having fun, running around, and knocking heads. They were hyper, and (visitors) have to respect that."
Bison body language isn't difficult to read. Ecologist, author, and bison advocate George Wuerthner said as much after seeing a video of Yellowstone tourists laughing at a "dancing" bison that was showing clear signs of aggression.
"There's an imaginary sense of safety in Yellowstone," he told Cowboy State Daily in September. "People tend to look at the wildlife in Yellowstone like they would if they were at a zoo. Those animals are accustomed to people, but that doesn't negate their wild tendencies. In their wild conditions, Yellowstone's wildlife will react differently than an animal in the zoo."
Wuerthner believes people view Yellowstone's bison as "cows in a pasture," despite the plethora of signs warning tourists how dangerous they can be. Most incidents occur when people are already well within the 100-yard distance the National Park Service asks people to keep between themselves and the park's bison, elk, and other large herbivores.
Bison might not seem bothered by people, but that doesn't mean they're unaware of their presence and won't take action if they feel threatened or provoked. The bison on Grizzly Hill weren't necessarily showing signs of aggression, but their exuberant mood left them energized and unpredictable.
"People underestimate how bison will react when they approach and how quickly they can respond," Wuerthner said. "If a bison's agitated, a road or boardwalk isn't going to stop it from charging. They are so fast, and these people were way too close."
We're Better Than Natural Selection
Argyle, who's been the postmaster at Lake Village for many years, witnessed the incident in late May but didn't post the full video until Nov. 8. Since then, it's been viewed nearly 8 million times.
Argyle is concerned that these incidents are becoming more common in Yellowstone. She observed a noticeable increase in brazen, foolish behavior in the park over the last several years.
"Years ago, I think people had more respect," she said. "I tell people not to get too close to animals all the time, and I get yelled at. Foul words are yelled at me all the time. I believe people don't realize the true consequences of their actions, but I definitely think they're doing things and not caring about what could happen."
There's an argument that people are as brazen and disrespectful as ever, but the ubiquity of social media has made it easier to capture and share these incidents. Argyle sees validity in that assessment, but she also thinks courtesy has been on the decline compared to years past.
"I don't know what's changed, but people used to have more respect for Yellowstone," she said. "It's hard for me because Yellowstone is my home. That's where I live. I want people to respect that and the animals, and a lot of times they don't."
Nevertheless, Argyle will continue enduring the foul words and blissful ignorance so long as she can do what she can to keep people safe. People might be "rooting for the bison" or believe they deserve whatever happens to them, but that doesn't sit well with Argyle.
"Most people have commented that we should have let the bison get them," she said. "Why were you yelling? Why do you care? Human compassion is a thing. I feel like we've lost that in a lot of ways, so I'm always going to try and help people and get them out of danger, regardless of the circumstances."
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
