Citation: Man who picked up bison said “it would have been roadkill” had he not intervened
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YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — The man who put a bison calf in his car told rangers he did it because “it would have been roadkill” had he not intervened, according to a citation filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court of Wyoming.
Shamash Kassam of Quebec was fined $110 and must appear in court June 2 at the Yellowstone Justice Center.
According to the citation, obtained by Casper Star Tribune, Kassam told a park ranger he saw the baby bison “wet and shivering” in the middle of the road near Buffalo Ranch. He said he did not see any other bison in the vicinity and waited 20 minutes to see if any adult bison would come back for the calf. Kassam said the animal appeared to be seeking warmth from his car’s engine.
As EastIdahoNews.com first reported Saturday, Kassam and his son picked up the animal and drove it to a ranger station in their Toyota Sequoia.
The animal was released back to the herd but, according to a statement released Monday by Yellowstone National Park, the herd rejected the animal and it was later euthanized because it was abandoned.
Yellowstone posted a statement on the park’s Facebook page further explaining why the calf was euthanized. Officials said that in order for the calf to leave the park, it would have had to spend months in quarantine to be monitored for brucellosis and no approved quarantine facilities exist.
EastIdahoNews.com has contacted Kassam for a comment. We will update this story if Kasaam responds.
Click here to read the full report from Casper Star Tribune.