Father and Son Illegally Kidnapped a Bison Calf After They Said He ‘Looked Cold’

Apparently, the “Keep Away From the Animals” signs aren’t doing a whole lot to keep some people away from the animals.

During a trip to Yellowstone National Park, a father and son stumbled upon a baby bison who they thought looked “too cold.” The pair decided they needed to help the bison and placed the fragile animal in the back of their van. They drove the baby animal to the rangers station hoping to get help, however the rangers did not greet them with a warm welcome like they were expecting.

Karen Richardson was chaperoning a field trip and witnessed the strange encounter.

“They were demanding to speak with a ranger,” Richardson told East Idaho News. “They were seriously worried that the calf was freezing and dying.”

While the father and son thought they were doing the right thing by helping the animal, the rangers were not happy with their decision to move the bison. According to the National Park Service, “Yellowstone visitors are not allowed to approach wildlife and are to stay at least 25 yards away from large animals.”

“They didn’t care,” Rob Heusevelet, another chaperon shared. “They sincerely thought they were doing a service and helping that calf by trying to save it from the cold.”

While they had good intentions the situation was something for the park rangers to handle, not the visitors.

The father and son, who are tourists from another country, showed the rangers where the tiny animal was found and it was released back into the wild with its mother. Reportedly, the father and son were ticketed.

After the story went viral, Yellowstone National Park explained the situation shedding more details. The bison “was later euthanized because it was abandoned and causing a dangerous situation by continually approaching people and cars along the roadway.”