Greetings from Yellowstone National Park

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH YELLOWSTONE’S WILDLIFE

I ran from my bed to the window at Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. It was about midnight and although I couldn’t see him in the pitch-black space, I clearly heard the dominant male elk bugling for his harem. The sound of about a dozen pair of hooves running toward his call proved even more astonishing. “It’s the twenty first century ladies – where is your independence?!” However, it was mid-September and for these majestic creatures in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, that means the height of mating season.

Once daylight broke, the same bull elk stood grazing in the meadow, just 40 feet from the hotel patio. It was the same animal, because the park ranger confirmed that he fought off other males and claimed this northwest corner of the park as his own. He meandered around before deciding that the flowers hanging in baskets at the hotel entrance, were much tastier than the grass he previously ingested. This must be a regular occurrence, because the hotel staff hardly batted an eye as they replaced the basket when he finished munching.
Within walking distance is the Fort Yellowstone Historic District. The U. S. Army had a military presence here from 1886 to 1918, because of the many poachers killing animals and souvenir hunters destroying geysers. At its peak, it housed as many as 324 soldiers and it is obvious that they successfully protected both the natural resources and the thriving wildlife.

The next day while driving to Lamar Valley, east of the “Upper Loop”, my husband and I searched for a pack of wolves. The wolves were re-introduced to the park in 1995, but to our disappointment, only one black wolf appeared in the far distance. However, the abundance of buffalo compensated for it. A herd of over one hundred crossed the road, as we patiently waited for 10 minutes. The park rangers made it very clear that these massive herbivores have the “right of way”. They look like gentle giants, but our tour book informs us that they are very unpredictable. They can sprint toward you at 30 miles per hour if they feel threatened, and people should stay at least 75 feet away.

However, as they reached the pavement they marched right alongside our car as it stood idle. Obviously, the buffalo have never been told to keep the same distance from humans.

Later that day, while driving around the Lower Loop, we headed east towards Grizzly Peak. As we approached the north shore of Yellowstone Lake, we noticed three or four cars quickly pulling over. We didn’t understand why, until I saw a big brown movement in my peripheral vision and gasped when realizing it was an adult grizzly bear. We immediately joined the caravan and watched from the car, as he scoured the sand for any sign of food. He strutted so confidently on all fours, totally oblivious to humans gawking, as though he inherently knew he stood near the top of the food chain.
Visiting such a vast park and watching its wildlife live as nature intended, felt so surreal and humbling. Humans may have the biggest brain, but animals live successfully on instinct alone and are born with their necessary survival skills. They understand there exists a hierarchy among all the species and seem resolved to accept their destined place in nature. It truly is “their world, and we just live in it”.

Sincerely,
Donna