Hey… whatever works.
Bison are some of the most magnificent animals on the planet. They are as tough as they come, and can handle and traverse whatever environment that’s thrown at them. When it’s just them versus nature, bison are built to last. Whether they’re facing blustery winters or extreme cold temperatures, the 2,000 pound beasts can adapt to and overcome any weather that you could imagine.
A bison’s coat typically thickens up as the winter season approaches. That’s obviously to counter the frigid temperatures and blankets of snow that often fall in their North Americans habitats. Their wooly coats play an intricate role in keeping them warm through the winter, and apparently create such a layer of insulation that snow that lands on their coat will not melt from the heat the bison’s skin gives off.
But their coats do cause a bit of trouble when a big ol’ bison gets an itch that needs scratching.
This bison that calls Badlands National Park home is currently going viral because a nasty scratch that needed to be taken care of. Because wild animals live out in… the wild, they don’t have access to any creature comforts that we humans are used to. Sometimes, they just have to make do with what they have access to. And this bison decided that a “Hay Butte Overlook” sign would make for the perfect backscratcher.
Looks like it worked out quite well:
“Just a bison casually using a sign as a scratching post in Badlands National Park.”
@mollywanderstheworld Bison are hilarious animals 😂 Loved seeing so many wild animals in Badlands National Park! #badlandsnationalpark #bison #funnyreel #naturetiktok ♬ original sound – Molly Wanders The World
Sometimes you just gotta get the job done.
I doubt those at Badlands National Park in South Dakota knew that the sign would be useful both for direction and scratching. From the looks of the worn-out dirt underneath the sign, it’s a popular spot for wild animals to take care of bothersome itches.
And there was another “scratching post” nearby that the very same bison also used while he was in the area. Fair warning, this one is a little bit more NSFW from what I can tell… at least visually:
@mollywanderstheworld Part 2: the bison is at it again!! 🫢😂 #bison #badlands #funnyvideo #funnyanimals ♬ Monkeyshine-JP – Lt FitzGibbons Men
Yeah… sorry that I included that one as well. You probably got the gist with the first, more family friendly bison-scratching-an-itch video. But you can’t fault a bison for trying to take care of all of its itches all at once.
