Is it safe to assume this bison at Yellowstone National Park is a fan of NASCAR? Considering he was effectively acting as a pace car for the line of traffic that was stacked up behind him, I’d say so.
It’s estimated that somewhere around 5,000 bison call Yellowstone National Park home, and in the video below, you’ll see one of them in action (or inaction, depending on how you look at it). Fully grown bison can weigh over 2,000 pounds, which means that this big ol’ beast holding up traffic weighs about half as much as some of vehicles behind him.
Bison can also reach top speeds as fast as 30 miles per hour, meaning that this guy could legitimately give a car a run for its money if it wanted to. You’ll soon see that this one in particular wasn’t interested in running, and opted to take things slow. But just know it could turn on the jets if it wanted to.
You’ll also see in the video just how gargantuan America’s largest land animal is. I don’t think people realize just how sizable these things are until footage like this gives them a better idea, and puts them right next to cars on the road. Just think… this is only one, singular bison that is effectively shutting down this road in Yellowstone.
It’s a good, old-fashioned traffic jam, or as they are called in Yellowstone National Park, a “bison jam.”
T. Lyn Neufeld, a wildlife photographer that often shoots in the famous national park, was on the scene to capture this comical bison hold up. The massive creature was using the road way – as wild animals do more often than you think – and didn’t care that there were dozens of cars and recreational vehicles behind him.
And those that were stuck in the slightly-moving bison jam were showing a lot of respect to the animal. They stayed in their lane (partly because there’s no where else to go) and didn’t try to rush the “bison pace car.” The speed limit for the day was however fast this bison wanted to go, and it made for quite the hilarious visual:
“The traffic jammer champion, you shoulda seen the line of cars he had behind him!”
Not a care in the world.
You’ve got to respect the bison for taking the road… most traveled. Why would be bother battling the elements when there’s a perfectly traversable roadway right there? Clearly he was having a great time utilizing the asphalt… and some in the comments strongly believed the traffic jam was an intentional move by the bison:
“I have a sneaky suspicion he knew EXACTLY what he was doing.”
“That’s me driving in the fast lane.”
“Not even on the side of the road. Right in the middle, saying, ‘I’m the boss.'”
“That’s everyone’s travel guide, right there.”
“King of the Road.”
Everyone was having some fun in the comment section. That’s the thing about a bison jam at Yellowstone National Park… how could you be mad?
Getting held up by an animal just means you get to spend a couple of extra minutes inside the confines of one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Being stuck on the interstate in standstill traffic? Horrible. Coming to a full stop, or at least a slow roll, on a road within Yellowstone? That’s actually a blessing in disguise.
