Yellowstone National Park‘s 2.2 million acres provide visitors with unparalleled opportunities to observe wildlife in an intact ecosystem. The park is home to a vast range of mammals from small weasels to massive grizzly bears but the bison is easily Yellowstone’s most iconic beast.
Yellowstone is the only place in the U.S. where bison have lived ceaselessly since prehistoric times. They mark the largest bison population on public land in the country with an estimated 5,400 (as of 2024) living in the park. Bison are the largest land mammal in North America, weighing up to 2,000 pounds, and can run at speeds up to 35 miles per hour.
Despite the park’s massive size and numerous wildlife viewing opportunities, some visitors seem to have a hard time resisting the urge to crowd the wildlife. Yellowstone is very clear with it’s rules and regulations when it comes to behavior around animals, especially around bison, yet people still frequently break those rules putting both themselves and the animals at risk.
Such was the case in this clip taken on Monday, June 2, when two parents with their very young children approached far too close to a bison in the Pebble Creek area of Yellowstone National Park. Fortunately the bison stayed calm through the interaction but one misstep and this could have ended a whole lot worse.
Despite their often less-than-threatening demeanor, bison have injured more people in Yellowstone National Park than any other animal. All animals need to be given a safe amount of space (100 yards for wolves and bears, 25 yards for every other animal), but bison incidents are particularly common. The massive animals are unpredictable and can run up to three times as fast as people. These parents are absolutely endangering their children by approaching this close. Read more on bison safety below.
Yellowstone National Park Bison Safety:
Bison have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal. Bison are unpredictable and can run three times faster than humans. Always stay at least 25 yards (23 m) away from bison.
- Give bison space when they are near a campsite, trail, boardwalk, parking lot, or in a developed area. If need be, turn around and go the other way to avoid interacting with a wild animal in close proximity.
- Approaching bison threatens them, and they may respond by bluff charging, head bobbing, pawing, bellowing, or snorting. These are warning signs that you are too close and that a charge is imminent.
- Do not stand your ground. Immediately walk or run away from the animal. Spray bear spray as you are moving away if the animal follows you.
If this woman/family are American tourists, CPS needs to remove those children from them for their safety.
It is beyond irresponsible of a “parent” to even let their children out of the car in this area, let alone permit them approach the bison and join them.
I understand the enormous acreage of Yellowstone and that there are really not enough rangers to watch every inch but I think there has to be a way of monitoring bison herds and have rangers close by if not right there. Can’t These there be a # number that people can call to report and/or website to send pictures and car plates to the office?? morons should be arrested fined and children taken away permanently! They have proven themselves to be unable to care for themselves and their precious children. Barr them from ALL national parks. Tired of an entitled few ruining it for us all!!!!
Obviously people do not listen to the “beware” notices…start finding them in the spot!
This man should be identified and arrested! That is the only way this idiot is going to learn not to place your child if front of a wild animal. They are herding animals with poor eye sight and anything such a child starts running around screaming are really not cute! He could have killed his child in 15 seconds and that goes for him too.
Just please call child protective services because from what we see they are either too stupid to be good parents or they are trying to get the kids killed on purpose to be ride of them in a way they can call it an accident!
Why do people think it’s a petting zoo?!? This is a beautiful beast of an animal in its natural habitat/territory. Most animals will protect their territory with the last fiber of its being. Are we taking them up to the next mountain lion we see as well??? C’mon people educate yourself before putting others at risk, especially your own very young children…. You’re supposed to be their protector, not the one putting them in harm’s way
Darwinism in action y’all
There should be no trespass issued to adults who put minors in harms way at National Parks where dangerous animals are present. One butt of the Bison’s head, and that child would be dead. Those adults should be served with the most severe fines and restrictions, that it sets a Nationwide example, that reckless behavior around wild, dangerous animals will not be tolerated any longer.
It is just like Senator Kennedy said: “There’s just no cure for stupid.
I live in Montana and have heard tons of cases like this one where tourists make uneducated decisions to approach the Bisons and are attacked, mauled, some even brutally killed by the animal. It seems they see themselves above the rules and warnings of our wildlife parks which frankly, is sad. What is even sadder though, is the fact these parents were “okay” with basically signing that poor childs possible death certificate by pulling a stunt like this one. They should be fined and charged with child neglect and endangerment. This isn’t a game, “tourists.” There are warnings for a reason. Do you not read the articles? Do you not watch the news? Horrible parents.
She probably stands with Israel. They are fine with killing children.
An absolutely Stupid, example of Dumb or a murder plot to be recorded and planned ,idk but looks pretty obvious
I agree with the majority of the other comments here! ARRESTED and FINED Period. And if they get caught again Baned for life from the National Parks!
These entitled people will have everyone’s privilege to the parks revoked if they don’t smart up. There has been little consequences in the last 20ish years so people think they can do what they want. Then they scream and sue when they overlook the laws and get hurt.
How can people be so stupid? When I visited Yellowstone I witnessed several people acting totally irresponsible despite all the warnings!
Why isn’t anyone doing anything about this? Why is there not park Rangers posted and calling the police on these stupid ppl. Would you let your child run in the middle of a highway? Then what part of your brain tells you it’s OK to pet a bison? Did you not go to school and learn about animals and the dangers? These people need to pay fines. We should be able to film them and the car their driving and report them to the police. This is totally child abuse, endangering your child’s life, a poor innocent little boy or girl no older then 3 years old. Who’s parents responsibility is to keep them safe, and this is still going on. Now what if I spanked my kid for running into the road and my neighbors seen me spanked my kid? Child protection services would be at my house with the police in less then 5 mins to put my ass in jail and my kid taken away from me for child abuse. I would have to go through a dozen of classes and monitored visitation. So why can this parent be any different? So why can’t I take videos and get their license plate and call the police and report abuse? When are this morons going to start being held accountable? Then we end up killing the animals for there aggressive behaviors. I’ll even go volunteer to go watch people doing this so they are held accountable. This is sicking.
Many park rangers have been removed by DOGE. We knew this was going to happen. But in order to give wealthy people more tax breaks more inexperienced people will do stupid things.
Park Rangers inevitably have to save stupid people from themselves. DOGE has put stupid people on notice. They will disappear the way of the dodo, if noone is there to save them. Survival of the “not stupid enough to erase your own gene pool”
This Susan has been going on for years these violations and sheer stupidity is nothing new.
Yeah, Jackie bo backy– probably because the us was trying to save fractions of pennies on the dollar by firing everyone and anyone. Who would want to work somewhere where, despite doing your job year in and year out, you might be cut any minute on a whim?
Why can’t you take pictures?
There is over 2 million acres to be watched over and funding for these parks are constantly being cut… There just can’t be enough rangers to be able to see all of this…. Had someone reported it they would have been there quickly and would have kicked them out of the park if not fined them drastically
At what point does the park stop these morons from endangering people and now innocent babies? I’m tired of reading about it! Remove them from the park. This is crazier all the time. Are we that desperate for visitors?! Also, not fair to the animals. Those adults should be charged for endangering a child.
Why aren’t rangers posted and doing something about it you ask? Because the non-governmental “agency”/”department” of DOGE & Trump himself fired a vast amount of Rangers all over the country. That’s why! Use your brain people. This is cause & effect in its simplest firm!
I saw something similar in the Smokies. Family with 2 small children kept approaching a bull elk watching over his “harem”. Even after the rangers told the family twice to move away, they still approached the elk. The ranger finally insisted they leave.
I have had the honor of visiting Yellowstone a number of times. Each time more amazed and in awe of it’s beauty, and each time stupefied by the stupidity of my fellow visitors. My only hope is that we protect this, and all of our treasures.
Complete idiots. But even more important: completely irresponsible parenting here. I agree with the person that says CPS should be notified!
Do these people live under a rock or in the clouds? Have they ever heard of current events or even know what internet or a TV is? Do they think Yellowstone is a petting zoo maybe? They must be oblivious, living each day like an innocent child, in other words completely ignorant.
Bamntgwm. Sick of tourons, I m sure animals are too!
Amen to that!! It amazes me how stupid people are. This is NOT a fluffy little bunny for children to mull. I do believe these down right dummass people should be #1 fined, made to attend wildlife awareness classes and maybe have their child taken away. What is wrong with people.
These people and others who approach wildlife should be fined, removed from the park and not allowed to re-enter for at least one year. These dangerous approaches continue year after year and it seems the NPS does not enforce its policies. If it does it should publicize enforcement actions to remind people of the potential consequences.
Until strict animal abuse laws are enacted that make approaching wildlife in our national parks a prosecutable crime, nothing will change. People only pay attention to the law when the consequences cause financial or personal pain.
Those parents should be charged with reckless endangerment of a minor for guiding their so close to danger. People who endangered their lives around bears should be charged for the same as well.
Signs mean nothing to stupid people so legal steps need to be taken to make an example of their stupidity and not just a slap on the hand.
Ban them for life. People who disdain punishment- it’s not working!!!!
Can we call CPS!?