A Yellowstone National Park visitor on Sunday captured an extraordinary scene involving dozens of bison that stampeded down a mountain and onto a bridge.
Vanessa Lynn-Byerly stated on Facebook that the bison “literally shook the bridge” as she tried to hold her camera still in the car. (View the video below.)
She told FTW Outdoors:
“The car shook when they first came onto the bridge and I asked my husband if there was something happening with the car and he said, no, that’s the hooves shaking our car!”
The stampede, which included bison calves, or red dogs, occurred on a bridge that leads to Lamar Valley.
Viewers first see the massive animals charging down the steep hill to access the bridge. On the bridge, hooves pound the pavement as calves try to keep pace.
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It was not clear what placed the iconic animals in such a hurry to cross the bridge, but it was an awesome display of power and grace.
Lynn-Byerly told her parents, jokingly, that the “sights and sounds” as the bison charged down the hill “reminded me of those old westerns they watch.”
Bison, which can weigh 2,000 pounds, are the largest land animals in North America. They can be viewed anywhere in the park, but sightings are common in Lamar and Hayden valleys.
Despite their size, bison can attain speeds of 30 mph.
Calves, affectionately referred to as red dogs, are typically born in April or May.
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