SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 News) – As warmer temperatures begin across the Wasatch Front, the Department of Wildlife Resources wants to remind individuals and families on how to safely encounter wildlife.
At Antelope State Park, a large population of bison live on the island. As people recreate through the area, Jeremy Shaw, a park manager at the Antelope Island State Park reminds on what to do if you encounter a bison.
- If you see a bison and it stops what it is doing and starts paying attention to you, you are too close and should slowly back away.
- If a bison is in the middle of the road, wait for it to pass. Do not get out of your vehicle.
- If a bison is on the side of the road, feel free to slowly drive past it. But again, stay inside your vehicle.
- If you see a bison in the distance, do not walk across the rangeland to get closer to it. Take your photos from a safe distance.
- If you are hiking and a bison is close to or on the trail, you should either back away and return the way you came, or leave the trail and give the animal a very wide berth when passing it. Shaw said it is OK to go off the trail if your safety is at risk.
