Travel – Syndication Server

Bison ‘thunder’ through crowd of panicked Yellowstone tourists

Tourists were observing a wolf kill down the slope when the spooked bison emerged and began to stampede.

Last week we featured footage showing bison stampeding toward a snow coach in Yellowstone National Park, as tourists watched with heightened concern.

To their relief, the bison navigated around the vehicle without incident.

On Monday, photographer Jeff Vanuga shared an image showing the aftermath of a bison stampede that caused panic among tourists who had been away from their vehicles observing a wolf kill.

Vanuga described the scene via Instagram:

“After wolves took down a bison cow 100′ below the road the herd came up to where the everyone was observing the kill. Seconds later a stampede ensued with bison running directly at the crowd.

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“Everyone ran and scattered about as the bison thundered through people, snow coaches and snowmobiles. Luckily no one was injured and after getting out of harm’s way I managed a couple shots of the last bison weaving through the crowd. An adrenaline-filled morning!”

The wolves that killed the bison cow belonged to the Wapiti Pack, which utilizes a wide swath of territory, including the northern range in the winter.

Wolves take down bison cow in Yellowstone National Park. Photo: ©Jeff Vanuga

Yellowstone is home to nearly 5,000 bison, which must contend with wolves in the winter, and wolves and grizzly bears during spring and summer.

Bison, which can weigh 2,000 pounds, often utilize roads for easier commuting. This puts them in close contact with tourists.

According to the park, bison can attain speeds of 30 mph, so stampedes are awesome and, at times, harrowing spectacles.

Rarely seen Yellowstone wildcats appear boldly on ridge

Footage shows the normally elusive mountain lions traversing a snow-covered ridge as if out for a Sunday stroll.

A guide in Yellowstone National Park last week captured footage of rarely seen cougars traversing a snow-covered ridge as if out for a Sunday stroll.

MacNeil Lyons of Yellowstone Insight told FTW Outdoors that he was leading a photography tour with a guest from the U.K., who was “extremely excited” to observe cougars for the first time.

Understandable, considering that most visitors to Yellowstone do not see cougars, or mountain lions. Although the park is home to perhaps a few dozen of the large wildcats, they’re famously stealthy and elusive.

Lyons shared the accompanying footage via Instagram, writing:

“High in elevation, between craggy peaks these two sauntered on the ridge line with a backlit ‘bluebird’ sky! As the lions went out of view from one vantage point, I read the landscape and moved a few miles down the road to try a different vantage point.

“Our luck continued as we picked them up as one sat and peered over the edge of large snow cornices. We had our time with them for at least 20 minutes.”

Lyons told FTW Outdoors that he captured the footage in the northern range from more than a mile away, with an iPhone attached to a Swarovski spotting scope.

He said the cougars might be the same pair – perhaps a courting pair, or a mom with a subadult offspring – that was spotted recently on a ridge hunting mountain goats.

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According to the park, cougars are native to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem but were nearly eradicated throughout the Lower 48 states during predator-removal campaigns in the early 1900s.

They survived in the West largely because of their preference for remote, rugged habitat, and their elusive nature.

Lyons, who has documented an astonishing 37 cougar sightings in 25 years of living in Montana, expressed concern for the future of the park and surrounding region in light of new or proposed laws that could jeopardize wildlife.

He concluded his Instagram post:

“We need these Wild Places. But more importantly the entire 4-legged, feathered and scaled community needs this wild space. Pay attention to new state & federal laws that lessen the protection of our Public Lands.

“Times are changing and seemingly not to the benefit of those without a voice… the animal community. Be their voice for protection and ethical stewardship of these wild spaces.

“Thank you to all that are keeping up the Good Fight.”

Watch: Lions in a quandary after cobra slithers onto road

Footage shows the lions pause in their tracks, unsure how to react, after encountering the cobra and smaller reptile.

An African safari company on Thursday shared rare footage showing two lions encountering a cobra as the venomous snake stalked a lizard.

The extraordinary scene plays out on a road and viewers can hear a guest express disbelief at being able to photograph “a cobra and a lion in one shot.” (Video posted below.)

But, as Daniel Wildlife Safari explains, and as viewers can see, the lizard also stars in this bizarre confrontation:

“What seemed to have happened was that the cobra was hunting the lizard. The hunt must have caught the lions’ attention. The lions cautiously stalked the snake which drew the attention of the snake away from the lizard. Once the tension between the lions and the cobra eased, the lizard stumbled in front of the lions.

“The lions were unsure of this whole situation and were shocked! After encountering the venomous cobra, the lions did not want to take the chance with the defenseless lizard. They left the lizard alone and all 3 animals went away seemingly unscathed.”

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Yellowstone bison stampede toward snow coach in thrilling encounter

Footage shows several bison sprinting toward a snow coach, causing one tourist to ask, “They’re not going to hit our vehicle, are they?”

A spectacular highlight for snow-coach passengers in Yellowstone National Park is to share the road with giant bison.

The accompanying footage, credited to David Wall via Viral Hog, shows more than a dozen bison stampeding toward a snow coach and providing an adrenaline rush for wide-eyed passengers.

“They’re not going to hit our vehicle, are they?” one tourist asks in the footage.

The bison spread around the snow coach to pass, although one slightly bumps the vehicle while navigating its passage.

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Yellowstone has about 5,000 bison and they utilize roads for easier commutes during the winter, so encounters are not rare. However, encounters with stampeding bison are far less common.

The footage is reminiscent of footage captured in February 2019, showing a very large bison sprinting at full speed past a snow coach in a “Holy Jesus” moment. (Click here to view that clip.)

Adult bison, which weigh between 1,000 and 2,000 pounds, can run 30 mph so watching them charge toward you with full heads of steam can be as intimidating as it is impressive.

Yellowstone bison make tracks across snow in surreal footage

When temperatures dip below zero in Yellowstone National Park, tourists are scare but the park’s 4,500 bison carry on out of necessity.

When temperatures dip below zero in Yellowstone National Park, tourists are scarce but the park’s 4,500 bison carry on out of necessity.

The accompanying footage, courtesy of Yellowstone Forever, offers a surreal glimpse into the life of the legendary critters in extreme weather.

“Bison herd making tracks and shadows this past weekend in Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley at about -20 degrees F.,” the nonprofit stated Wednesday via social media.

Yellowstone National Park is the only destination in the lower 48 states to have boasted free-ranging bison herds since prehistoric times.

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They can be found year-round in Lamar Valley in the park’s northern range, and in Hayden Valley to the south. In the winer, when temperatures can dip below minus-40 degrees, bison might also be found near thermal areas in the western portion of the park.

Bison feed mostly on grasses and grass-like plants, and during the winter they often use their massive heads to shovel snow while traveling and searching for food.

Their only predators are grizzly bears, which are currently hibernating, and wolves, which like bison must carry on despite the cold.

Tourist trampled by elephant while trying to protect grandkids

The man was pursuing the children after they left their vehicle unaware that an elephant was concealed in nearby bushes.

An elderly tourist died Saturday after being trampled by an elephant in South Africa’s Kruger National Park.

South African National Parks announced the incident via social media but provided few details.

But regional news outlets are reporting that the man had gone after his grandkids after they left their vehicle unaware that an elephant was concealed in nearby bushes.

The spooked elephant charged and the grandfather “placed himself between [the kids] and the advancing elephant,” IOL, a South African publication, reported.

The grandfather, a South Africa resident, was pronounced dead at the scene. The children apparently were not injured.

Tourists are allowed to drive through Kruger National Park but are supposed to remain inside their vehicles.

SANParks stated that the incident occurred near the Crocodile River at the Malelane Gate and issued the following appeal:

“Due to the sensitivity of the incident, we appeal to the public to refrain from posting or sharing pictures and videos of the incident on social media. Additional details will be released in due course.”

‘Fur ball’ cheetah cubs play on road in ‘beautiful video’ shared by guide

Guide Rodney Nombekana promises: “Guaranteed the most beautiful video you will see today on social media.”

A safari guide in South Africa on Monday shared rare closeup footage showing a cheetah with five young cubs and promised Facebook followers:

“Guaranteed the most beautiful video you will see today on social media. A cheetah with tiny fur balls in Kruger National Park.”

The accompanying footage shows the cubs reacting curiously to their surroundings but mostly playing at every chance while sticking close to mom.

One follower suggested the footage was not real because cheetah moms with cubs are usually elusive and keep their distance from tourists.

But Rodney Nombekana, the guide and photographer, assured that it the footage, captured last September, is genuine.

Be sure to watch at the 30-second mark as one of the cubs plays a short game of tug-o-war with momma’s tail. (Please click here if the video player does not appear below.)

Shark attack footage from shore stirring, but don’t be misled

Florida travel company shares footage of tiger shark predation effort as warning to Keys visitors. But shark was never near Florida.

Florida Keys Travel, for the second time recently, has shared footage showing a tiger shark chasing a turtle practically onto the sand. The latest Instagram post cautioned:

“Think again before you go knee-deep in the Florida Keys — you never know what might be lurking beneath the surface!”

In the footage, posted below, the shark nearly strands on the beach before retreating safely back into deeper water.

“Welcome to the keys,” one follower remarked.

While Floridians expressed gratitude for the warning, the post is misleading.

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The footage was actually captured last January in Western Australia. I interviewed the photographer, Ruth Gaw, after seeing her Facebook post.

Gaw told me that the turtle escaped and that a large stingray also “got chased in, but I had stopped recording when it happened.”

She was observing from the beach at Monkey Mia, which is famous for its white sand and abundant marine life. Gaw spotted the shark approaching as her husband Derek and son Arran were fishing for mackerel.

Click here for the full story.

Glaring proof of massive great white sharks inside Sea of Cortez

Catch of a shark said to measure 20 feet offered glaring proof that the legendary apex predators inhabit the region.

–Editor’s note: This post looks back to 2012, when the accompanying image was captured on a Mexican beach, at a time when it was not widely known that adult great white sharks inhabited the Sea of Cortez.

Thirteen years ago, an enormous great white shark sprawled on a beach near Guaymas, Mexico, on the mainland side of the Sea of Cortez, quickly became a spectacle.

Commercial fishermen Guadalupe and Baltazar (no last names provided) hauled the giant shark up in a net and towed it two miles to shore behind their 22-foot boat.

The graphic image tells the story of a town captivated by the rare sight of an apex predator said to measure 20 feet.

ALSO: Researchers encounter dozens of rare, shark-eating orcas; video

Guadalupe was quoted as saying, “We were amazed and immediately realized that we had a huge, dead great white shark, and then we thought, ‘What are we gonna do?’ ”

The catch saddened conservationists and surprised many who were not aware that upper regions of the Sea of Cortez were utilized by such large white sharks.

It’s now known that adult great white sharks seasonally migrate into the Sea of Cortez to give birth.

10-year-old girl lands 200-pound tuna off Mexico; ‘Incredible catch’

Kourtney Jackson was fishing with her family off Cabo San Lucas when the giant “cow” tuna struck.

A 10-year-old girl reeled in a 200-pound yellowfin tuna last month while visiting Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, from Washington D.C.

According to Pisces Sportfishing Fleet, Kourtney Jackson landed the massive tuna after a fight of only 45 minutes while fishing with her family aboard the 37-foot yacht BBII.

That’s impressive, considering that yellowfin tuna are powerful swimmers and larger specimens often require hours to bring to leader.

Also, catches of yellowfin tuna weighing 200-plus pounds are somewhat rare. At 200 pounds, they’re considered “cows.” At 300 pounds, they’re considered “super cows.”

For comparison, the world record for yellowfin tuna stands at 427 pounds, for a fish caught off Cabo San Lucas in 2012. (The catch of a 443-pound yellowfin, also off Cabo San Lucas, is pending record approval by the International Game Fish Assn.)

Pisces announced Kourtney’s catch via Instagram and viewers can swipe on the post below to watch a brief interview and see other notable catches by lady anglers that day.

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