Bison Crashes Through Boardwalk While Crossing Right In Front Of Tourists At Yellowstone National Park

Well that’s embarrassing.

Bison are the largest mammals in North America, weighing up to 2,000 lbs and standing nearly 6 feet tall. And while they’re obviously dangerous creatures, most of the time they aren’t aggressive unless they feel threatened. Bison are herbivores, and since they only eat plants they tend to avoid conflict and are happy to just go about their business if they’re not being bothered.

There are over 4,000 bison living in Yellowstone National Park, and with over 3 million visitors to the park per year, there are bound to be some close encounters with these majestic creatures.

And sometimes they’ll just walk right across your path.

This group was visiting Yellowstone, and keeping on the boardwalk like they were supposed to. (This may not sound like a big deal, but as many videos as we see of people leaving the boardwalk to approach the wildlife, gotta give credit where it’s due).

But a couple of bison decided to take a short cut – right in front of them across the boardwalk.

Now, as I mentioned, bison can weigh up to a ton. And I’m not questioning the craftsmanship of the fine folks at the National Park Service, but that’s a lot of weight on a 2×4.

As the first bison crosses, apparently the board just couldn’t quite stand up to the weight, and the animal’s leg crashes straight through the deck.

The bison looks momentarily confused, before removing his foot and continuing on his way. And when the second one comes through, they’re smart enough to avoid the hole in the plank and safely crosses without causing any more damage to the boardwalk.

I like to think that the second one was the wife, and she made fun of the first guy after they got across:

“I told you that you need to lose weight fatass. Look at what you did. Now all those people are laughing at you.”

But you gotta think at least part of the blame lies with the park. I mean, they know these animals are out there and going to walk across the path at some point. Might wanna add some reinforcements next time.

Poor guy. Hope he’s not self-conscious.

@adam.nigels Yellowstone bison cracks through a boardwalk at Norris Geyser Basin. The Yellowstone bison are very dangerous up close. In this moment, however, they simply wanted to cross the boardwalk and wanted nothing to do with the nearby people. Make sure to keep your distance and never approach the bison if you plan on visiting #Yellowstone ♬ original sound – Adam