A man has pleaded guilty Wednesday to disturbing a baby bison at Yellowstone National Park, leading to it being euthanized.
Clifford Walters of Hawaii was charged with intentionally disturbing wildlife and must pay a $500 fee and $500 community service fine.
While Mr. Walters likely did not act maliciously, his intervention in the baby bison’s life led to its eventual death at the hands of park services.
On May 20, Mr. Walters approached the animal after it was separated from its mother while crossing a river. According to Yellowstone Park staff, Mr. Walters pushed the bison out of the river and into the road where it began to interact with cars and other park guests.
Despite repeated attempts, park rangers were unable to reunite the bison with its family and eventually euthanized the animal since it was abandoned and causing danger.
Yellowstone is full of dangerous creatures, and since the event, park services have ramped up their efforts to inform guests to stay at least 25 yards away from all wildlife, from bears to elk.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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