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Katie Rogers reports at the NYT that officials at Yellowstone National Park are warning visitors not to fraternize with wildlife after a woman was injured while trying to take a selfie near a bison — but that hasn't stopped some visitors from posting their close encounters on social media. A notice released by the National Park Service details how a 43-year-old and her child turned their backs to a bison while trying to take a selfie while the animal was 6 yards away. The visitors tried to get away when they heard the bison approach, but the animal lifted the woman up and tossed her with its head. She is the fifth person to be injured in an encounter with one of the park's bison this summer.
The park's warnings are not subtle: Upon entering, visitors receive a bright yellow flier that depicts a person getting gored by a bison. According to Julena Campbell, summer, which is breeding season, is the most dangerous time to be near the animals. "The family said they read the warnings in both the park literature and the signage, but saw other people close to the bison, so they thought it would be OK," says Colleen Rawlings, a ranger in the park's Old Faithful District. "People need to recognize that Yellowstone wildlife is wild, even though they seem docile. This woman was lucky that her injuries were not more severe."
(Score: 3, Informative) by sudo rm -rf on Tuesday August 04 2015, @09:31AM
Even domestic animals shouldn't be trifled with
So true. I personally know one woman who is sitting in a wheelchair because her horse kicked her in the back, apparently without reason.
Found these for examples from the US:
Illustrative Case Reports
The following case summaries illustrate the most common circumstances of the cases identified for this report.
Case 1. In August 2005, a woman in Missouri aged 65 years was removing a dead, newborn calf from a pasture when a cow knocked her down, stomped her, and butted her while she was lying on the ground. The coroner reportedly stated that death resulted from blunt force trauma to the woman's head and chest. No autopsy was performed.
Case 2. In November 2005, a man in Iowa aged 65 years was helping his son sort beef cattle for loading onto a truck. He was attempting to guide one of the animals toward the truck when it turned into him, crushing him against the barn door. According to witnesses, he stopped breathing immediately. The medical examiner's report stated that death was caused by blunt force trauma to the man's chest.
Case 3. In April 2006, a man in Iowa aged 63 years was herding cattle into his dairy barn for milking when a bull came into the barn and repeatedly butted him, pinned him against a fence, and stomped him. According to the attending physician's death record, the man sustained multiple rib fractures, lacerated pulmonary arteries, and head injuries. The man's family said that the bull was known to be dangerous and had been threatening in the past.
Case 4. In August 2007, a man in Iowa aged 45 years who was working alone in a pasture was attacked by a bull that had been bottle-fed and raised by the family but, according to family members, had become more aggressive recently. The attack was not witnessed, but the man was able to call his wife for assistance on his cell phone before he died and told her he had been attacked. According to the state medical examiner's autopsy report, he died of blunt force injuries to the chest.
Reported by: WT Sanderson, PhD, MD Madsen, MBA, Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health and the Injury Prevention Research Center, College of Public Health, Dept of Occupational and Environmental Health, Univ of Iowa, Iowa City.
source [cdc.gov]
(Score: 4, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 04 2015, @09:51AM
Common sense but, based on my own experience:
Cows are nice, and some can be trusted to an extend (there is some variation as well between different breeds). For unknown animals, avoid turning your back on them. And do not trust them at all when they are with calves. You CAN actually fight them off if they attack, even with bare hands, but you will have to be quick and effective, and once you are down its too late. If you have to do something that they do not like, take a stick with you. And be careful in tight spots, even if they did not directly intend it, its easy to get crushed by a large animal.
Never walk past the back of a horse. No exceptions. Even if its the sweetest animal you know, they do not know their own strength (and just kick without looking). And some cannot help biting on things...
Never ever trust a bull. Imagine the guy turning aggressive when drinking, and then 10x worse. They are drunk on testosterone. And get pissed off by the smallest thing. Always have them collared when herding. Its pointless to fight them without weapons (and a wooden stick will not do).
(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Tuesday August 04 2015, @06:04PM
Common sense indeed. Would you pet a strange dog? How about attempting to pick up a stray cat?
People are just incredibly dumb. They don't stop and think about their actions.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Immerman on Wednesday August 05 2015, @11:38AM
Yes, also with strange horses and various wild animals.
The key is to treat them with respect: they're not a toy for your entertainment. If you wish to interact with them then catch their attention, *offer* an interaction, and leave them alone if *they* don't take the initiative. And just like with that large heavily scarred biker at the bar, keep in mind that inviting the attention of something potentially dangerous isn't necessarily in your best interest. We are descended from prey animals after all.
Other tips:
- Move slowly: they don't know your intentions so make sure you move slowly and clearly enough to telegraph them. Non-tame animals will generally do the same with you, and you should be on guard and consider leaving immediately if they don't
- Don't go taking liberties - just because an animal "talks" with you or sniffs your hand doesn't mean you should try to touch it - caressing is a fairly intimate activity for most animals: you can ask, but move slowly and don't press the issue if it shies away or acts aggressive. Think of it like interacting with a person who doesn't speak your language - simple greetings and pantomime/tonal comments about mood or the weather are one thing, stroking their back quite another.
- Sniffing noses is a near-universal friendly greeting among mammals, not unlike a lingering handshake or quick hug among humans - not necessarily shared with strangers, don't push it, but if you're not comfortable having the animal's face that close to your own you should probably just leave it alone entirely.
- More than momentary eye contact, and baring of teeth, are near universal threatening gestures among animals. Don't stare or show your teeth while smiling - they'll likely think you're trying to pick a fight. And if they do either, back off.
- If the animal is potentially seriously dangerous, even accidentally, make sure you can understand enough of their basic communication to distinguish between curiosity, fear, anger, and (if a predator) hunger. Better yet, stay away entirely. Heck, cows freak me out - those big empty eyes tell me nothing about what's gong on in their heads.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday August 05 2015, @05:08AM
I think this comment is the most correct from my own experience as part of a family that formerly ran a dairy. As long as you respect that a cow is much bigger and much stupider and jumpier than you, you will be fine 99% of the time. I even had a show cow and would lead her around, kind of treating her as a pet before she got mastitis and had to be put down.
That other 1% or less, something bad will happen because of...whatever. My dad got his arm shredded down to the fat and bone by a cow kicking him while she was in a stall being milked! This cow had a bad temper, anyway, but still, he went to the hospital.
I never saw any trouble with cows and calves, but, again, this may be because this was a dairy rather than an open range. I personally assisted in several complicated births, in fact, something that would probably make the rest of you city slickers puke. (GALLONS of placenta and shit, mixing together on the shit-covered ground!)
OTOH, comment on the bull is 110% correct. It's like a bear: do not run, just back away slowly without turning around. The best idea is not to be in the pen with it. We had a bull because, for whatever reason, a small percentage of cows would only breed with natural fucking rather than artificial insemination.
Oh, and yes, sans the bull, you could tell a cow was in heat because other cows would hump her like a bull, proving homosexuality exists outside of humans, at least while the one cow was in heat.