That’s gonna leave a mark…
You would have to feel pretty stupid after driving right up to the largest animal in North America, then having it seriously damage your vehicle… but some folks just don’t get it.
Bison ain’t nothing to mess with. These beasts can weigh as much as 2,000 pounds and are able to run up to 35 miles an hour. That’s a whole lotta force coming at your Toyota Sienna.
They also have thick skulls they use for ramming things on a regular basis, including other fully grown bison.
It’s common for these animals to congregate on roads at Yellowstone National Park. They live in herds and often go by roads to the easy access of food sources like grasses and other vegetation. Naturally, this causes some folks who can’t slow down and just enjoy the beauty to become inpatient.
Exhibit A…
These folks became inpatient on a Yellowstone road as a bison herd is seen blocking off traffic. As the traffic continues to pile up, the minivan is seen trying to make its way by them. But it gets nice and close to a big and mature bison and receives a lovely parting gift.
In a flash, the bison turns and rams the van, leaving it with plenty of visible damage on the side.
That’s all it takes.
Sure, it’s probably just cosmetic, and a rather easy fix… but it’s definitely not worth getting somewhere a few minutes faster.
Bison Gets Its Head Stuck In Car Window
Tourists at a wildlife park in Quebec, Canada, and an almost 1,000-pound bison both found themselves in a startling situation.
Leonardo Heizer filmed the scary encounter and shared his story with CTV News in Ottawa. He traveled with his family to the wildlife park and was excited to see a bison for the first since immigrating to Canada from Brazil four years ago.
“Somebody opened the window, and … the bison put the head inside the car, and I was shocked.
I was thinking somebody is going to get hurt for sure.”
Even though nobody got hurt, Heizer said the car was in bad shape after the bison broke free.
“The windshield was damaged, and the column between the front window and the windshield was damaged too.”
Reports vary on how long the bison was actually stuck in the predicament. The video footage only lasts about a minute, but the caption says the ordeal lasted 30 minutes. However, reports from Lucy Robertson, a staff member at the wildlife park, said the bison was only stuck for about 10 minutes.
“He wasn’t trapped that long so thankfully, it was just more panic rather than anything else, so he wasn’t hurt, and he managed to get himself back out, and he wasn’t hurt, so we’re very thankful for that.
All of our safety rules have been put in place to avoid any incidents, such as what happened on Sunday, and just to ensure the safety of both animals and our visitors.”
The safety rules she referenced include prohibiting guests from opening their windows while driving through the bison enclosure, and this situation perfectly exemplifies why those rules are in place.
It’s unclear if the tourists in the vehicle will be facing any fines or punishment for breaking park rules and endangering both themselves and the animal.
