According to the Island Park newspaper, a herd of wandering buffalo (or is it buffaloes, or is it . . . Oh well,) — wandering bison headed for Island Park was turned around and pushed back into Yellowstone. No, it’s not that the government is trying to incarcerate the buffalo in Yellowstone anymore than they’re trying to keep us out. It’s more a fact that bison (at least some of them) carry brucellosis which is deadly to cattle. Because ranchers lose $1,000 – $1,500 every time a cow dies prematurely, they aren’t very neighborly to wayward bison.
But all that aside, the thing in the newspaper article that really caught my attention was the comment, “Apparently the bison were following an ancient migration route from Montana to Idaho.” Now, I don’t know what image that conjures up in your minds, but when I think of young buffalo following ancient migration routes (that haven’t been used in years — or maybe even millenia)
I see the older, much wiser buffalo taking those coming of age out into the woods and starting out the conversation like this: “Son, I want you to pay strict attention to what I’m about to tell you. This is the legend of the mythical trail to the promised land (Idaho) that has been handed down from generation to generation since the dawn of time. This is something you must never forget, as the day will come when you may need to know where the trail is. And if you don’t use it yourself, you’ll need to pass this information onto the next generation.”
The younger buffalo, eyes fixed on the elders in the herd, listen with rapt attention, wondering if they will be the generation that returns to the promised land (Idaho.) They carefully memorize each detail as though it would be them — dreaming of such a migration.
Yeah, right. Or maybe they just wandered off from Yellowstone looking for some peace and quiet, and some greener grass. While I have to admit there’s some serious emotional appeal to the “father to son” thing, I’m pretty sure I know which scenario I believe.
