An eighteen-wheeler struck and killed over a dozen bison from Yellowstone National Park on the night of Dec. 28 whereas touring on Highway 191, the West Yellowstone Police Department mentioned in a press launch on their Facebook web page. Wildlife biologists defined that bison use highways and snowmobile paths through the winter months when snow coats the area and complicates journey.
Two extra car collisions occurred after the semi-truck crashed, and officers initially thought these collisions have been liable for a few of the deaths. They later confirmed that every one 13 bison have been both killed upon influence with the semi-truck or euthanized shortly thereafter.
“We deal with wildlife being struck and killed on the roadways in our area on a regular basis due to the abundance of wildlife in our area and our close proximity to Yellowstone National Park,” the press launch reads. “We are always saddened by any of these incidents, particularly when so many animals are lost. We would like to take this opportunity to remind all drivers to slow down and drive appropriate to the road and weather conditions.”
The police division didn’t affirm whether or not velocity was an element within the accident. A Montana Highway Patrol investigation is ongoing.
“If [the bison] want to get from point A to point B, they recognize that the road is the most efficient,” Montana Department of Livestock veterinarian Marty Zaluski informed the Cowboy State Daily. “With the recent snowfall, they haven’t got well established trails they’ve gotten beat in quite yet.”
The accident comes amidst cries for the state to decrease the velocity restrict within the space as wildlife collisions proceed to surge. The Buffalo Field Campaign, a non-profit group that advocates for elevated protections for bison herds, factors out in a press launch that 19 bison, 4 moose, and a grizzly have all been killed by automobiles on roads close to West Yellowstone this season. But previous analysis exhibits decreasing velocity limits doesn’t successfully decrease collisions, since individuals merely don’t pay attention. That’s why BFC can also be calling for a wildlife bridge to be put in within the space.
“The only sure way to significantly reduce these accidents is to build over- or underpasses that allow animals to cross roads without touching the pavement,” The Nature Conservancy scientist Corinna Riginos informed the Powell Tribune. “Changing human behavior is challenging.”