Observers watching Yellowstone National Park’s Old Faithful webcam got quite the spectacle on Monday afternoon. A bison herd decided a wandering grizzly got too close for comfort and sent it scurrying through the snow.
Around 1:15 p.m. Monday, a herd of over 20 bison was grazing on snow-covered grass in the Upper Geyser Basin when a grizzly appeared along the Firehole River. The grizzly kept to itself as it meandered along the riverbank, but it had the full attention of at least one of the bison.
Just when it appeared that the bear and bison would respectfully ignore each other, the entire herd reeled together and charged after the grizzly. Yellowstone’s apex predator took the hint and didn’t stick around, retreating behind a nearby tree line at a full gallop.
“He didn’t seem to care much about that herd,” said Wyoming Game and Fish large carnivore specialist Dan Thompson. “I’m sure he sees herds of bison all the time, but I guess the bison felt he wasn’t moving along quickly enough, despite his nonchalance, so they gave him a little nudge.”
It was the latest amazing wildlife moment captured on the Old Faithful webcam for its international audience. A recording of the entire incident was