Tiny Tim can swim.
The famous hobbling bison in Yellowstone National Park impressed onlookers by swimming across the Yellowstone River in Hayden Valley on Saturday.
Why the broken-legged bison left the protection of his meadow near Canyon Village is a mystery. He’s done well for himself so far, but fans worry he might be pushing his body and luck too far.
“The biggest concern is that he’s sitting in a wide-open space where wolves are known to hunt,” wildlife photographer April Holm told Cowboy State Daily. “Can he defend himself against a wolf attack? I don’t know.”
Tiny Tim’s Travels
Tiny Tim, an adult male bison, is a well-known Yellowstone bison for only using three of his legs to hobble around. His left front leg appears to have been injured, so he keeps it close to his chest and only gingerly sets it down when he’s grazing.
For the last few months, Tiny Tim had taken up residence in a lush meadow near Canyon Village. Then, he headed south.
“He moved back and forth across the road before crossing Chittenden Bridge,” Holm said. “They think he was smelling cows at that point, but then he biked out and went in the opposite direction of all the bison in the area.”
Holm, who has been chronicling Tiny Tim’s life on her Facebook page, Holm on the Range, lost track of Tiny Tim for several days after he left his meadow. Then, on Saturday, the bison turned up again in the Hayden Valley.
He even seemed to have gained some weight from the last time she saw him.
Then, to the amazement of many, Tiny Tim swam across the Yellowstone River.
“Getting in was a little hard, and getting out was a little hard,” Holm said. “He’s only had one leg to pull himself out of the water, but he did it. It was phenomenal.”
Holm said it took Tiny Tim more than 12 minutes to cross the river. As soon as he was on the bank, he helped himself to a patch of thick grass.
Since then, the bison hasn’t moved far from the banks.
“The last time I saw him was on Sunday, and he hasn’t moved more than 50 feet from where he crossed,” she said. “It seems like every effort is a big effort, but he just keeps on doing it.”
Holm estimated that Tiny Tim has moved 10 miles in six weeks. That’s not impressive by standards of normal bison, which can move that far in a single day, but it’s quite an accomplishment for a disabled bull.
“I was so proud of him,” she said.
However, pride can come before the fall. That’s what has Holm worried.
Too Far Gone?
Tiny Tim’s latest movements have been out of the ordinary. He’s well-known among Yellowstone staff and regular visitors, who’ve noticed he tends to stay in the vicinity of his meadow.
After talking to other people familiar with Tiny Tim, Holm said the bison is “miles from where he should be.” He’s never strayed so far south, let alone crossed a river, to anyone’s knowledge.
“We're hoping he goes back to the safety of his meadow, because he does really well in his meadow,” she said. “That’s a good, safe spot for him, and right now, he's not in a good, safe spot.”
In his meadow, Tiny Tim had extra protection because of its relative proximity to the road and the nearby hustle and bustle of Canyon Village. It had plentiful grass to sustain him, and a stand of trees where he could seek shelter from the elements.
Now, Tiny Tim has moved to an area with less protection, less forage, and greater risk.
“He’s been eating, and he’s got a big space to move around in, but I’m hoping it’s enough to sustain him,” Holm said. “He’s got a lot of sagebrush around him, so it doesn’t look like there’s a lot (of grass) there, and he’s sitting right in the open.”
Paparazzi Push
What motivated Tiny Tim to venture so far? Only the bison knows for sure, but Holm has heard some concerning accounts that make his heroic river crossing more worrisome.
Since Tiny Tim became more widely known this summer on social media, more people have stopped to see him in his meadow. That also means more people, according to Holm, have tried approaching him.
“There is a concern that he moved because people were approaching him in his meadow,” she said. “A lot of people know about him, but we all of a sudden have people approaching him because they know he’s injured.”
Holm suspects Tiny Tim might have vacated his meadow because he no longer felt safe. As people kept approaching him, he hobbled out of his sanctuary and farther from the crowds.
In that case, he might have inadvertently jumped out of a relatively safe frying pan and into a fire.
“If he’s not in a safe place because people chased him out, I’d feel awful,” Holm said. “He’s miles from where he should be and has historically always been.”
Celebrity Treatment
Holm and others are trying to keep Tiny Tim’s exact location a secret, but they know where to look for him. The question is where he’ll go next.
“Everybody's wondering what is on his mind, and it’s impossible to know,” she said. “Your guess is as good as any of ours.”
If Tiny Tim has proven anything, it’s that he’s beaten the odds and, so far, has managed to take care of himself. Their hope is that he’ll return to his meadow in the not-too-distant future, where he’ll weather another winter.
Holm, for her part, is trying to do more to educate people about Tiny Tim so they’ll be more respectful of his struggle.
“I’m trying to remind people that if they do see him, give him his space,” she said. “Don't get in his face. Don't approach him. Make sure that you're in a pull-off, or that your wheels are on the far side of the white line.”
That’s one positive of Tiny Tim’s relocation: Nobody’s going to be close to him when he’s on the opposite bank of the Yellowstone River.
In time, Tiny Tim might hobble back to his meadow. The last thing Holm and the bison’s fans and observers want is for the bison to feel unsafe in his sanctuary “just because he’s famous.”
“(Tiny Tim’s) beaten the odds for a couple of years on three legs because of his resilience, tenacity, and strength,” Holm said. “Let’s keep him as safe as possible, rather than forcing him into a less-than-ideal situation.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
