YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo., May 16 (UPI) -- The newborn bison that was taken by tourists in Yellowstone National Park has been euthanized.
Park rangers tried to reunite the newborn bison calf with the herd, but their efforts failed. The calf was euthanized because it was abandoned by its herd and kept approaching people and cars on the road.
Tourists visiting Yellowstone National Park put the bison calf in their Toyota Sequoia SUV because they believed the critter was cold. The tourists were ticketed.
A father and son pulled up to Yellowstone's Lamar Buffalo Ranch last Monday demanding to speak with a park ranger.
"They were seriously worried that the calf was freezing and dying," Karen Richardson, a parent chaperoning a school group, told EastIdahoNews.com.
Rob Heusevelet, the father of a student, told the pair to remove the bison from the car -- warning that they could get in trouble.
"They didn't care," Heusevelet said. "They sincerely thought they were doing a service and helping that calf by trying to save it from the cold."
Considering the National Park Service explicitly warns Yellowstone visitors not to approach wildlife and to stay at least 75 feet away from large animals, the actions of the father and son duo were not reacted to positively by authorities and the tourists were ticketed.
The American bison was named the country's first national mammal on May 9 when President Obama signed legislation honoring the animal.
