13 Yellowstone Bison Killed in Road Accident

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Hat tip, Newser, the clickbait site

I've been to West Yellowstone, so I know the area a little bit.

13 Yellowstone Bison Killed in Road Accident

Authorities say a semi struck the animals on a highway just outside the park

By Newser Editors, Newser Staff
Posted Dec 31, 2022 11:32 AM CST

Thirteen bison from Yellowstone National Park were killed after being struck by a semi-truck, reports NBC Montana. The animals were apparently on or near a highway just outside the park—probably because of deep snow inside the park—when the truck hit them after dark on Wednesday, per the AP. Some of the bison were killed instantly and others were euthanized because of their injuries.

Police say two other vehicles were involved in the accident on US Highway 191, near the town of West Yellowstone, but only the semi hit the bison. “We are always saddened by any of these incidents, particularly when so many animals are lost," said a police statement. It adds that the animals' dark coloring and non-reflective eyes make them particularly hard for drivers to see at night. The accident is under investigation, and police say speed may not have been a factor. (Read more Yellowstone National Park stories.)

[2naSalit]

1. So...

Mile 4 on Northbound US191 is in the river hollow of the Madison River. It's where you drop down the hill to where Baker's Hole campground is, Madison Arm Rd, then you cross the river and go back up out of the river hollow toward Rainbow Pt. Rd a few miles up.

I know this spot intimately, it's also very close to where that guy was mauled by that bear a year or two ago, like maybe a half mile at most only in the woods to the east of the road.

Once you drop down into the hollow, you can't see much that's far out ahead of you and, as mentioned in the article, bison fur is non-reflective, same with elk. If you can't see that little red dot that would be their eye looking right at you, you won't see them until you've hit them. It's why we try to discourage visitors from driving in YNP at night. Most locals stay home at night because of too many wildlife hazards on the road and sometimes it's the locals that hit the bison.

It's not like there are any road lights out there and it is a kind of dark that most Americans rarely see.

[GusBob]

3. Yep

Hit my second deer this Fall and my truck is still in the shop

Jumped out behind and oncoming vehicle in the dark and at full speed there was nothing I could do

The bigger problem around here is free range cattle and horses on the road. Last Fall a rancher hit an Angus here and I came up first person on the scene. His truck was totaled

[2naSalit]

4. Indeed.

When you hit something that weighs 1,000+ lbs, might was well be a brick wall. Free range cattle was a big concern when I was in the semi too, The truck would win but not unscathed.

[Old Crank]

2. Hit 13 Bison, yet

Speed was not a factor.

How do you cause the death of 13 large animals without your vehicle moving? Seems like driving too fast for conditions.

[2naSalit]

5. It was probably that...

The night-time speed in that stretch is either 55moh or 60mph, it changes sometimes depending on how the state is dealing with the bison each year and it's wooded on either side of the road though there's at least 50ft of clearing between the road and the trees.

The Bison will lay down on the road, often, in groups. Hitting one is bad enough, I can't imagine there's much left to the undercarriage of the front half of that semi. One year, a local woman, who was speeding, hit eight of them in a small car, don't know how she survived it but she wasn't hurt.

They also are grazing the grassy stuff that is not buried in snow, even at night. Like mentioned in many comments, you cannot see them in the dark. I lived there for a very long time and you cannot see most of the big animals in your headlights, period. This is also a very dark at night place, no light pollution, most people don't know how different it is when you can't even see your other body parts, headlights are not as great as you might think in that setting. You have the side markers along the roadside so you know where you are. If you can't manage with that, maybe let somebody else drive or wait until daylight.

In a place like that, Mother Nature rules.