At least he wasn't hamstrung, gutted, and eaten alive by a pack of wolves! Strange, they only eat the weak and sick!

Old bull -- a Yellowstone fixutre -- dies after record travels
By REBECCA HUNTINGTON
Jackson Hole News & Guide Thursday, March 02, 2006





YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) -- Each autumn, "Boris," a nearly 2,000-pound bison, would begin an unusual trek from Yellowstone National Park to Jackson Hole.

While Yellowstone bison typically move upward of 35 miles, Boris annually migrated more than 100 miles to Grand Teton National Park.

No other American bison has been recorded migrating 200-plus miles round-trip since the park icon was nearly exterminated a century ago.

Teton park biologist Steve Cain happened to catch a last glimpse of the aging bull's final trip last October. Cain spotted Boris, easily recognizable with his rusty reddish color and oversized noggin, rambling south along the highway at Yellowstone's Lewis Lake Divide.

Boris "was pretty much right on schedule," Cain said last week.

That was the last time Cain saw Boris alive after witnessing his remarkable migrations for a decade. In early February, Boris plodded off to greener pastures, expiring near a hot springs not far from Yellowstone's South Gate.

"I think all of us were very pleased that he did have a good long life, and that he did not die on the roadside, considering how much time he spent migrating," said Cain, noting that Boris did survive being hit by a Suburban once.

Two other bulls, who accompanied Boris on his first journey south, did not fare so well. Boris and the two bulls first caught the attention of park rangers in the winter of 1995-96 when they loitered around Flagg Ranch in the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway, which connects Yellowstone and Teton parks.

Their arrival coincided with the launch of a bison ecology study in Teton park where more than 900 bison now summer. Most of the herd winters on the National Elk Refuge where animals feed on alfalfa pellets put out primarily for elk. Boris, however, did not discover the refuge right away.

Initially, Boris spent winters around Moran where Cain radio-collared him and the two other bulls in 1996. The following year Boris and the two bulls returned, this time with three adult females and three young bison.

Boris was the only bull to survive the second year. Another bull, nicknamed Curly for his curved horns, was struck and killed by a vehicle on the highway near Triangle X Ranch on March 16, 1997. The other bull died during the rut in Hayden Valley on Sept. 8, 1997.

Although the two bulls didn't live long, the three cows remained in the valley and prospered, giving birth to at least 21 calves in the Jackson herd, Cain said.

"They've been a tremendous conservation asset in terms of introducing Yellowstone genes into the Jackson herd, which helps maintain genetic diversity," Cain said.

Boris may have sired a few offspring as well. He stayed in Jackson for one breeding season in 1998 as far as biologists know. Most summers, however, he returned to Yellowstone's Hayden Valley to mate. Biologists tracked Boris from 1996 to 2000 until he lost his radio transmitter.

Even after that, biologists continued to receive reports of and see him migrating. He turned up on the elk refuge in January 2004 looking skinny. Earlier this month when Cain collected Boris' skull for research purposes, he found the 20-something bull had only two of eight incisors left.

"I think he probably starved to death," Cain said.

Interesting article. Poor old Boris.

Ten years ago while going through the Park in Winter a mess of buffalo ran onto the road right in front of us. I was unable to stop on the icy roads and hit a big bull with my wifes Thunderbird. Pushed in the frt end but didn't seem to hurt the bull at all. We watched him for over an hour and he was unhurt. They ARE tough.

FN in MT

Great article, thanks for posting it!

I agree with Wstrnhuntr - Great Story! We need more like it. I'm sure there are many such stories involving bison in that area. Thanks