Life is far from a bowl of cherries for the Bison of Antelope Island and recently I’ve seen more evidence of that fact. Some of it is caused by natural behavior, some by unfortunate circumstance and some by the thoughtlessness and ignorance of humans.
Bison mating season extends into early fall and the actual mating process is often physically traumatic for the cows. When a 2,000 lb. bull mounts a cow roughly half his size his front hooves often tear into her hide and leave gaping wounds which may be slow to heal, partly because of flies and birds picking at them. In August and September (this photo was taken a month ago) it’s not unusual to see several cows in a small herd with these open wounds, always in the same place on their backs.
Three days ago I ran into my old friend “Old Broken Leg” once again – his right rear leg has been broken for several years now but he continues to survive and even thrive. He can put no weight on that leg so his progress as he grazes the island is agonizingly slow and he can’t keep up with the herd so I often see him off by himself. One of my favorite park rangers affectionately calls him “Gimpy”. There’s an annual “bison roundup” on the island where folks on horseback herd the bison for many miles to corrals where they can be checked by veterinarians, vaccinated and culled (some are sold off to keep the population in check) but of course Gimpy could never keep up so during the roundup they mercifully leave him be.
But I noticed something new on this resilient bull – a large healing wound on his back which I can’t help but speculate about. I’d guess that this wound was caused by other bulls repeatedly attempting to mount him during the breeding season. Circumstantial evidence leads me in that direction – the position of the wound, the timing and the fact that this bull, because of his broken leg, would not be able to effectively evade such attempts. If that’s what’s occurring I’m surprised the other leg wasn’t injured or even broken during the process (this bull doesn’t even let the foot of his injured right leg touch the ground so it bears absolutely no weight).
But some of the difficulties faced by bison on the island are human caused. I’ve seen folks harass bison multiple times by illegally flying airplanes (even helicopters) right over the top of them, driving too close to them, even walking up to within 6-10 feet of them. On the surface Bison seem lumbering and slow but when disturbed they can run away (or attack/defend) at speeds over 30 mph and I’ve seen (and photographed) several near disasters involving stupid people. Bison require “personal space” and when that space is invaded their reaction is unpredictable. They can also be disturbed by unusual events and loud noises.
I was about to leave the island three days ago when this bozo in an engine-powered hang glider flew over the north end of the island so low that at times his feet seemed to be dragging the sagebrush and mullein (literally!). He was very close to me so I was trying to maneuver my pickup and juggling 3 camera/lens combinations to get the photos I wanted before he disappeared over the hill. There are bison just out of frame at the lower right and this guy flew within about 100′ of them (perhaps about 25′ off the ground). He not only disturbed the bison but caused several Pronghorn to run off.
To give you an idea how close and low he was, this image was taken at 100mm and is almost full frame. I wanted to get him and the bison (again, just out of frame at the lower right) in the same shot so I changed cameras again…
and fired off a couple of quick shots just before he dipped below the hill but I hadn’t noticed that my zoom was at 17mm so this wide-angle view gives a distorted perspective. I drove around the hill to try to find this guy again, but couldn’t (temporarily)…
But lo and behold, as we left the causeway a half hour later on our way home there he was – within 100 feet of the park entrance station, working with his gear (his face has been disguised to protect the “innocent”).
When I talked to a park ranger a few days later about this guy the ranger said that they were aware of him and tried to locate him that day but were unable to. Harassing wildlife on the island is illegal but interesting enough, bison aren’t “wildlife”. Since the bison are actually owned by the park, legally they’re considered more like livestock than wildlife.
However, that’s not the case with Pronghorn…
Ron
Someone in this neck of the woods used the the bisons for target practice using paint balls. The wardens did not catch the culprit in the act, but busted some guy in a truck with paint ball equipment. He is going to court.Thanks for sharing Gimpy’s story.
That’s disgusting, Jane. I hope the judge makes him eat those paint balls and then orders him to paint his house with the digestive byproducts…
Amen to making the jerk eat paintballs and paint his house with you know what! Just thinking about that happening makes me a bit happier.
Hiss and spit. And, of course, if anything happens to this man (or his relatives in stupidity) his/her friends and family would be outraged and demand that ‘something be done about it’ – usually killing the animal they provoked.
I love that Gimpy is not only surviving but thriving. Long may it continue…
I cheer for Gimpy too, Elephant’s Child. Every time I see him laboring as he does just to walk it brings a lump to my throat.
He looks young. Maybe someday his fascination with the outdoors and “bucking the system” will give rise to an epiphany, one that brings him to a greater understanding of life we all share here on mother earth.
Tim
I hope he experiences that epiphany soon, Tim but I think you may be more optimistic about the possibility than I am…
Dream on! Each generation seems to drift farther and farther away from any understanding of or appreciation of anything nature-relaed. How I wish you were right!
Just because the park ‘owns’ the bison doesn’t mean they’ve suddenly become domesticated. The first time I visited Yellowstone, a couple of male bison came thundering by, one chasing the other (I was not trying to get close to them), and that was a scary experience. They ARE wild. I guess harassing wildlife is about power to them, but to me it’s about stupidity. I love animals like “Old Broken Leg” who persist and thrive against all odds. One of my all time favorite animals was a Canada Goose that was injured while still a baby, but who grew up and thrived. I had the good fortune to be part of its life on an occasional basis, and it was an inspiration.
I think it’s unfortunate that so many people put their own recreation ahead of the needs of others – both human and wildlife, and plant life. I saw that attitude in a friend of ours a few days ago, with regard to the use restrictions in place at Hueco Tanks (El Paso, TX) and it disappointed me greatly. I’m hoping the park service finds a way to restrict hang gliders and the like so that they can still enjoy their pastime but also let the wildlife be. There should be plenty of places to indulge in that kind of activity without doing it in a national or state park (unless the park is specifically designed and designated for that).
Yes, Susan – these bison truly are wild. They tolerate people in vehicles but if you get too close to them on foot they will charge. A few months ago one of them pinned a guy against a large wire fence. If the fence hadn’t been flexible the guy surely would have been killed.
And I agree – I’d like to see all kinds of aircraft banned from flying over the island below a specified and reasonable elevation.
I think you should publish his face. If his actions/behavior are legal he should have no problem with his daring adventure ending up on the internet and you have every right to publish any of the splendid photos you take at a State Park. In fact, I think you should send this story to the local news outlets and let them publicize your story. The end result should be that testosterone intoxicated guys like this pay a painful price for their bravado (stupidity?).
I very nearly did publish his face, Dennis. In the end, decided not to…
How about sending his picture to the newspaper, park authorities or the police…or sell it on E-bay for a dart board… I’ll bet I could become an expert in less than a week!
the altitude and areas these idiots fly ought to be restricted…and harassing ANY life, wild or domestic, two-legged or four, prohibited. I was on a beach in Milford, CT about a week ago, visiting friends from Wounded Knee , So. Dakota. ( You can imagine how often they get to a beach.)..There were only a few, brief periods of calm and quiet, of listening to the gulls and waves…of watching sailboats drift by…most of the time, this was shattered by idiots in powered hang gliders zooming back and forth, over the water and over our headsl These morons usually two at a time, seemed to be “performing” for us, a captive audience. They’d swoop and dive, bank sharply, then quickly rise, fly low over the water, then low over us along the beach. We had wanted to talk, relax and look for jingle shells, but gave up in disgust and went back inside. They kept coming all day, so I guess there was somewhere nearby where you could rent the damned things. How I longed to see one crash! Better yet, into each other…..
Sounds like “my guy” would fit right in with yours, Patty. I don’t blame you for being disgusted.
Gimpy can’t run, he has to tolerate it. The park could easily enforce a policy of 300’ft above the earth’s surface. This guy was obviously harrassing the wildlife/livestock, including the noise pollution. This could ruin a good morning of birding for sure! Pretty sad,,
Brian, I’ve talked to park officials about legal flight elevations over the island before (when I reported the airplanes buzzing the island in the link I’ve included in this post). It’s my understanding that those flight rules are established by the FAA, not the park. They’re frustrated by those rules too.
It always amazes me that humans feel that their “needs ” always supersedes those of nature. Thanks for posting theses images Ron as sad as they are . Hope ” Gimpy “recovers.
John, I don’t think he’ll recover but I hope he lasts a long time in relative comfort. The older I get the more I root for him!