Newborn bison euthanized after Yellowstone tourists put in SUV

You know the sign that says "Don't Feed the Animals?" Apparently there needs to be one that says "Don't Put the Animals in Your Vehicle."

A newborn bison was euthanized after two tourists at Yellowstone National Park put the calf in the back of their SUV and transported it to a park facility. The visitors believed it was freezing and dying. The visitors were cited by the Park Service.

Placing the calf in the vehicle was dangerous activity because adult animals are very protective of their young and will act aggressively to defend them, the Park Service said.

In addition, interference by people can cause mothers to reject their offspring.

In this case, park rangers tried repeatedly to reunite the newborn bison calf with the herd. These efforts failed, and the bison calf was later euthanized because it was abandoned and causing a dangerous situation by continually approaching people and cars along the roadway.

The Park Service explains that the calf was euthanized because it is too young to forage on it's own and in order to ship the calf out of the park, it must be quarantined for months. There are no approved quarantine facilities at this time.