A YouTube video posted by “Yellowstone Leo” last month is stirring a bit of worry and curiosity for residents and tourists of Wyoming’s Yellowstone National Park. Bison and other animals have been noticed “fleeing” the park, causing some to wonder whether the animals know something the rest of us do not.
Though Yellowstone National Park spokesperson Dan Hottle claims the viral video shows bison running into the park, the animals (whether fleeing from or to the park) are obviously running; the question remains, rather, whether the animals are running for the sake of spring frolics and play or running from something. Hottle claims:
If I stayed on the phone with you for 15 min [sic] longer I can probably point the camera out the window and show you a bison running down my cul de sac.
Still, many are wondering if the animal activity could be results of minor earthquakes hitting the area over the last several weeks, leading them to, in turn, wonder if much larger seismic activity could be on the way in the form of Yellowstone’s Super Volcano. The more earthquakes a region experiences, the more likely a dormant volcano may be triggered back to life. Yellowstone Leo’s video was shot and posted a week and a half before an earthquake measuring 4.7 rattled Yellowstone. If the super volcano ever blew, it’s eruption is estimated to be more than 10x that of Mt. St. Helens.
Before you start wringing your hands too much, though, rest assured that the scientist running the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory told CNN:
We don’t anticipate an eruption anytime soon.
Are these bison running from a super volcano, or simply migrating, foraging for food? Time will tell…
edited by tw
