Utah Woman Claims To Have Video Footage Of Bison Calf Before It Was Picked Up And Subsequently Euthanized

One Utah woman is claiming she came across the young bison calf euthanized last week in Yellowstone National Park—before it was picked up.

And according to KUTV (2News), she has video to back up her claim.

Natalie Kinzel, a West Jordan resident, told 2News she was in Yellowstone last Monday when she and her family saw a herd of bison crossing a river. She took video of the herd, fixating on a calf that was struggling to ford the river. From KUTV:

She said she watched as the little buffalo got swept downstream — ignored by the other animals. The calf eventually made it out but was soon left all alone.

“It was just heart-wrenching because it was literally collapsing and there was no buffalo around,” Kinzel said.

She kept recording as the calf alternated between leaning against her car and standing there, shivering.

“It was so pitiful,” Kinzel said. “We were teary eyed when we left.”

We previously reported that Shamash Kassam of Quebec, Canada, admitted to loading the calf into his SUV and bringing it to Lamar Buffalo Ranch after observing it wandering the roadside, alone and shivering. In all likelihood, it had been abandoned by its mother. Kassam was fined $110 (plus a $25 processing fee) for his actions; various people have taken to social media condemning Kassam, claiming his actions caused the calf’s death.

It’s worth noting: in the event the calf had really been abandoned, without outside intervention from its mother or another source, the calf would have likely died anyhow, especially had it caught the attention of a coyote or wolf. Kassam’s intervention, for better or for worse, merely necessitated human involvement

Kinzel’s story links up with the original news, with Kinzel noting that the two stories (both involving a lone, shivering red dog) mesh rather well together. While it’s unlikely we’ll ever know the whole truth, Kinzel’s story is too good to ignore. From KUTV:

“It was very hard to watch,” Kinzel said. She admits she wanted to do something to help the calf, too, but she didn’t.

She also said those who have criticized the tourists should have some compassion.

“I’m sure that they thought they were trying to help,” Kinzel said.