What could be more American than loading up the family in the ol' jalopy, striking out cross-country, and visiting the supreme natural beauty of Yellowstone National Park?
Well, visitors at the Grand Prismatic Spring got a bit more rugged of a nature lesson than expected earlier this month.
From Cowboy State Daily:
Dozens of Yellowstone National Park visitors were shocked to witness the death of a bison that slipped into the scalding waters of the Grand Prismatic Spring over the weekend.
Around 7:30 a.m. Saturday, a bull bison was walking near Grand Prismatic Spring when it stumbled into the water at the edge of the 160-degree pool. The bison attempted to escape but ultimately died in its struggle, leaving its carcass floating at the shallow edge of the pool.
Visitor Louise Howard captured the moment on camera and posted it to Facebook as a cautionary tale.
[Warning: Ouch]
A park official told the Wyoming news outlet that the "organic material" of the animal "won't last long in that hot water, but the bones will be around for a long time."
However, it looks like the park may have taken the initiative in getting the poor bison's remains out of there:
There haven't been any photos of the bison carcass floating in Grand Prismatic since the morning of the incident. It's possible Yellowstone rangers decided to remove the body for the safety of visitors, something they often do, given that the decaying flesh would lure everything from magpies to sow grizzlies with cubs.
One thing's for sure — don't get in that water. If it'll kill a 2,000-pound cow, it'll kill anything.
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