WATCH: Lone Bison Is Surrounded by 12 Wolves in Yellowstone. Then, the Chase Takes a Wild Turn
It's eat or be eaten in Yellowstone National Park. The wildlife of the iconic park can broadly be categorized as prey and predators. Among the approximately 70 different mammal species, those that fall under the former category are constantly dodging death, while the rest are peering for a shadow or the slightest movements in the forest to commence attack mode. Recently, a chilling encounter between a lone bison and a pack of wolves surfaced online. Bisons have certain advantages, like their massive weight, about 2,000 pounds, and their stature, about five to six feet tall. Even though the mammals are grazing herbivores, they can prove deadly to smaller creatures and threatening to interfering Yellowstone visitors. However, bison aren't the fastest animals, and that one weakness sometimes puts them in grave danger.
Apex predators like wolves and bears can catch up to a bison, considering its slower pace, and hunt it down. In the recent incident, it wasn't a lone wolf but an entire pack that had surrounded a lone bison, leaving it to fight or flee. The bison chose the latter, a wise decision. Yet escaping a bunch of wolves is a mammoth task, especially for slow-pacing and top-heavy animals like bison. One good bump and the bison could turn into a feast for the entire clan. Bison are known to be group players who stick together to prevent these smaller but fierce predators from attacking one of their own. However, this bison was somehow away from its herd and eventually found itself surrounded by wolves.
Allan Hathaway, a wildlife photographer, captured the video of the Wapiti wolf pack chasing after the lone bison. At one point, it appeared that the wolves would win this race of life and death and celebrate feasting on the large herbivore. But the bison, out of sheer miracle or smart moves, managed to escape. The larger Yellowstone inhabitant outmaneuvered over 12 Wapiti wolves, cleverly escaped their clutches, and left them disappointed. While outrunning the wolves, the bison saw its herd passing by and most likely joined them. Since the wolves can't compete against an entire herd of bison, they had no choice but to leave the prey they had targeted earlier. The wildlife filmmaker confirmed that the wolf pack headed up the river, disappointed, after their plan of attack had been derailed.
"The Wapiti pack on the move. They came up short from this chase and headed up river," Hathaway captioned the post. Although brief, the tension between the prey and the predators was palpable for the viewers online. People took to the comments to praise Hathaway's capture of the incredible moment from the wild. "So cool!!" one Instagram user wrote. "Great footage," wrote another. "Awesome," added a third netizen. According to Whiskey Riff, this footage was taken sometime in February, and the snow-covered lands of Yellowstone as seen in the footage are further proof of that. It could have been another reason why the wolves couldn't chase down the giant bison. But now that summer's approaching sooner than later, the wolves will be freer to hunt down and chase their prey faster.
Perhaps it was luck that the bison lived to see another day, and the fierce canines had to accept defeat and walk away. However, these encounters are quite common at Yellowstone, and the tables can turn at any moment.
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