Clifford Walters, a tourist from Hawaii who was charged with “one count of feeding, touching, teasing, frightening or intentionally disturbing wildlife” pleaded guilty on Wednesday, according to a statement issued by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming.
Walters paid more than $1,000 in fines, including a $500 community service fee payable to Yellowstone’s wildlife protection fund.
On May 20, 2023, a bison calf had become separated from its mother as the rest of the herd crossed the river in a northern section of the park. The baby had been struggling to cross the river, when Walters approached the animal and gently picked it up and pushed it from the river onto the road.
The calf was later spotted walking up to cars, approaching people and following them. Park rangers arrived and repeatedly tried to reunite the calf with its herd, but all efforts failed.
The staff then made the decision to kill the newborn “because it was abandoned by the herd and causing a hazardous situation by approaching cars and people along the roadway.”
The attorney’s office stated there had been nothing to suggest Walters had “acted maliciously.”
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