Baby Bison Takes on Wolf and Wins | America's National Parks

Yellowstone is the only place in the US where bison have lived continuously since prehistoric times. Their relentless search for better grazing grounds means crossing rivers like the Lamar. Crossings are no big deal for the grown-ups but a daunting business for our 7-day old calf. Rushing snowmelt makes the Lamar treacherous. Our little guy is understandably dubious, but when mother makes her move, he has no choice but to follow.

Almost immediately, things start to go wrong. The current is just too much. His mother turns back, trying to keep him safely upstream of her, but the water is too swift and he is too young. She realizes her mistake too late; he's at the mercy of the river. What happens next will defy belief. He is washed up onto a little gravel island. He's chilled and utterly spent, and mother is nowhere in sight as the cold Yellowstone night falls. All seems lost.

Somehow, our little one has survived the night, but he's still stranded. Any hope of rescue seems to be moving on with his herd. Even his mother seems to have given up. The instinct to stay with the herd is overwhelming, and that's for a good reason—predators are never far away. Back downriver, against all odds, the bison calf is holding on, but he seems out of options.

Just when things couldn't get any worse, they do. A strapping young wolf has spotted him. This tiny island offers no escape, but apparently our calf is no ordinary calf. Hopelessly outmatched, with the courage of innocence, he's not going down without a fight. The inexperienced wolf flails, and then a noise—an impossible, wonderful noise. Here comes the cavalry—with an adult bison charging to the rescue.

Our calf now turns on the wolf. The calf seems to wonder, could this really be his mother? It sure is! And the wolf can't believe his eyes. Famished, the plucky little fighter loses no time filling up on his mother's rich milk, and this wolf has been thoroughly buffaloed.