I guess living near the park should assure me that there will always be wildlife, but today, just wanting a quick trip to Gardiner, instead was a visual delight of bighorns, elk and way too many bison.
The bison have been wandering out of the park, the snow is too deep in the park and they are searching for food, the wildlife officials usually haze them back into the park or corral them until they can be returned to the park or shot if they test for a disease that infects the cattle. A huge controversy up here between the ranchers and the wildlife folks. Anyway, for some reason, the wildlife people decided to let the bison roam since there were hundreds of bison that left the park. Decided the bison could stay in a "safe zone", we only hoped they knew their boundaries, they, the bison can't read.
So, the officials, people at the top, decided to install a cattle guard on the highway in the canyon so this would be the end of the "safe zone", too dangerous for the bison and for the public to meet head-on in the canyon.
So today, I took a pic of the cattle guard on the way home, notice a nice wide area for the bison to get around on the right, "they aren't that smart", really, as I drive up on a few who seemed to have made it into the canyon and I'm driving 5 miles/hr because there is no where to go to get around them. They are now only about a mile from the house, my boss came over and I said I expect to see them any minute in the lower meadow. You would laugh, but it's beyond dangerous.
And then a couple pics of the Big Horns, and one poor Bull elk who looks like he'll be glad when winter is over.
The bison have been wandering out of the park, the snow is too deep in the park and they are searching for food, the wildlife officials usually haze them back into the park or corral them until they can be returned to the park or shot if they test for a disease that infects the cattle. A huge controversy up here between the ranchers and the wildlife folks. Anyway, for some reason, the wildlife people decided to let the bison roam since there were hundreds of bison that left the park. Decided the bison could stay in a "safe zone", we only hoped they knew their boundaries, they, the bison can't read.
So, the officials, people at the top, decided to install a cattle guard on the highway in the canyon so this would be the end of the "safe zone", too dangerous for the bison and for the public to meet head-on in the canyon.
So today, I took a pic of the cattle guard on the way home, notice a nice wide area for the bison to get around on the right, "they aren't that smart", really, as I drive up on a few who seemed to have made it into the canyon and I'm driving 5 miles/hr because there is no where to go to get around them. They are now only about a mile from the house, my boss came over and I said I expect to see them any minute in the lower meadow. You would laugh, but it's beyond dangerous.
And then a couple pics of the Big Horns, and one poor Bull elk who looks like he'll be glad when winter is over.
Nancy,just can't believe the wildlife,just not in Ohio!They are just to beautiful!Working on an afgan,quilt and two tablerunners,not counting weaving baskets,can't keep still.Hope the days are getting better spring is here that I think will help.
ReplyDeleteLove the wildlife pictures you post - even if they're looking a bit scraggly this time of year.
ReplyDeleteYou said your boss came over to your house. Is this the boss where you worked or do you have a new job? We (NE Iowa) got your snow today. Still on the ground but should melt tomorrow. Thanks again for the pictures.