I worked in Yellowstone for a season. People are idiots and despite being told that the animals are wild beasts and we’re just visiting their home, they think these animals are tame when they wander into civilization.
They’re not. They never will be.
Being late for work because of wild life is common, and while verified, no one gets shit for it.
One day I had to call my boss and say I’d be late because there was a bison blocking the exit of my employee dorm. She just said be safe and get in when you can. Bison wandered off 5 minutes later and I went into my shift. All good, no further questions.
When the local elks gave birth and nested in Mammoth Hot Springs for the first week of their babies lives, it was super hectic and crazy. The elk moms were vicious. Went to pop out for a smoke during my shift, and rapidly realized the usual spot was no longer friendly. Employee rules were relaxed and smoking in front of the hotel was allowed, briefly, because safety was paramount.
In the same time span, me and a few friends were walking back from the employee pub to our dorms and we ended up getting trapped on the loading dock for the employee cafeteria, because elk don’t climb stairs. We had to be rescued by rangers because we were essentially besieged by a vicious (protective) elk.
But you can’t stop a foreign tourist from putting a baby on top of a wild bison if they don’t understand English. You can just call the local ranger station to send out rangers to try to keep people safe.
As a side note, national parks are FEDERAL land. Everything is handled in a federal court house, with federal charges, and rangers most certainly are federal LEOs. This includes being stupid with the wild life.
I worked in Yellowstone for a season. People are idiots and despite being told that the animals are wild beasts and we’re just visiting their home, they think these animals are tame when they wander into civilization.
They’re not. They never will be.
Being late for work because of wild life is common, and while verified, no one gets shit for it.
One day I had to call my boss and say I’d be late because there was a bison blocking the exit of my employee dorm. She just said be safe and get in when you can. Bison wandered off 5 minutes later and I went into my shift. All good, no further questions.
When the local elks gave birth and nested in Mammoth Hot Springs for the first week of their babies lives, it was super hectic and crazy. The elk moms were vicious. Went to pop out for a smoke during my shift, and rapidly realized the usual spot was no longer friendly. Employee rules were relaxed and smoking in front of the hotel was allowed, briefly, because safety was paramount.
In the same time span, me and a few friends were walking back from the employee pub to our dorms and we ended up getting trapped on the loading dock for the employee cafeteria, because elk don’t climb stairs. We had to be rescued by rangers because we were essentially besieged by a vicious (protective) elk.
But you can’t stop a foreign tourist from putting a baby on top of a wild bison if they don’t understand English. You can just call the local ranger station to send out rangers to try to keep people safe.
As a side note, national parks are FEDERAL land. Everything is handled in a federal court house, with federal charges, and rangers most certainly are federal LEOs. This includes being stupid with the wild life.