Animals Leaving Yellowstone National Park: Impending Massive Eruption?

[Kilgore Trout]

Well, as a Brit, this isn't something I'd know about.
If it happens every year as a natural event, as you imply, then there's nothing to it. But then why the article?
If it has only happened this year, then that is something of note.

Yes, herd animals often run or trot as a group, either as part of their migratory path, or just as a matter of course for any number of reasons.

Why the article? Because their are millions of hack writers, bloggers, and assorted whackjobs out there who need to justify their existence.

 

[Knight of Albion]

Frequently Asked Questions: Bison - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

 

[TurkeyOnRye]

Because their are millions of hack writers, bloggers, and assorted whackjobs out there who need to justify their existence.

Sadly that is true. I'm gonna be honest, I've been way too embarrassed to interact on my own thread. Normally I have the receptiveness to recognize fluff in a heartbeat, and I typically only reference peer-reviewed articles if anything. But through some alarming breach of critical observation...this topic appeared worthy of discussion. Hopefully just a fluke.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

I've been to Yellowstone once, and it was so large I didn't even notice we were actually on it until up a little further.

I am in the secondary ash zone, so I think I'm pretty much safe. It certainly would be interesting, and to be honest it would probably a bit more promising than damaging. Putting aside all of the people, cities, etc. destroyed, it would certainly draw government attention for decades after, a distraction, hopefully with good outcome.

Nonetheless, it'll make for amazing fiction, actual survival stories, and great dinner conversations!

Now imagine if we were nuked during or after the process of the eruption in around that area... That would truly be catastrophic.

 

[Knight of Albion]

Sadly that is true. I'm gonna be honest, I've been way too embarrassed to interact on my own thread. Normally I have the receptiveness to recognize fluff in a heartbeat, and I typically only reference peer-reviewed articles if anything. But through some alarming breach of critical observation...this topic appeared worthy of discussion. Hopefully just a fluke.

It is worthy of discussion. Check that official National Park Service website I found and posted. The Yellowstone bison do not migrate in the spring. Why would they? It's spring, there is an abundance of succulent greenery shooting forth. It's the richest food source of the year - and they're apparently leaving...
It's spring weather here, everything is greening. I don't know what the weather is doing there at the moment. If there's still snow this late in the season there might be a reason for moving out. If the weather is spring like as it is here, then that's another matter.

I just checked the original Epoch Times source. They mention a 4.8 earthquake and a way above normal helium release. I don't know what the science is on that.
There does seem to be a lot of seismic rumblings going on all down the western flank of the Americas you have to say. I hope there's nothing to it all.

 

[oldbadger]

Yes, herd animals often run or trot as a group.................................

....no..... well I never.......
Is that why they're called 'herd-animals'?

 

[Shadow Wolf]

It is worthy of discussion. Check that official National Park Service website I found and posted. The Yellowstone bison do not migrate in the spring. Why would they? It's spring, there is an abundance of succulent greenery shooting forth. It's the richest food source of the year - and they're apparently leaving...
It's spring weather here, everything is greening. I don't know what the weather is doing there at the moment. If there's still snow this late in the season there might be a reason for moving out. If the weather is spring like as it is here, then that's another matter.

They aren't fleeing or running from anything though. Bison move around for a number of reasons. These moron bloggers probably didn't even think to follow to bison to see that they are indeed moving themselves to another location, but they saw a herd of Bison running around, and combined with an apocalypse-conspiracy mentality, and you get "OH MY GOD! They're running away from Yellowstone because the volcano is going to blow. I have no actual documentation or evidence of where these bison are going, or where they ended up at, and although I don't really know a damn about volcanoes I understand them better than scientists do, and because I do have this video of the bison running and there have been earthquakes in the area, the bison are fleeing because the volcano is going to blow."

I just checked the original Epoch Times source. They mention a 4.8 earthquake and a way above normal helium release. I don't know what the science is on that.
There does seem to be a lot of seismic rumblings going on all down the western flank of the Americas you have to say. I hope there's nothing to it all.

There probably isn't. But the key to this issue is to realize that because scientists barely understand this, there is no valid way for a regular person, who has never studied a volcano except for maybe a few high school or college classes, to even have a guess if the volcano is going to erupt or not. Even volcanoes that have regular eruptions are not well understood.

 

[Knight of Albion]

This story hasn't been reported in the British television news, we obviously have a more European slant on things here, so I'm not in a position to make an informed judgement either way.

I wouldn't place a great deal of trust in scientists, but animals do famously have the inner vision to foresee disasterous events, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions etc. so when you hear of something like this it does make you sit up and take notice.

To be fair, the original article does not make any specific conclusion - other sources have 'talked up' the possibilities of a doomsday type scenario.

As I said, if there's anything to it, we'll find out soon enough.

 

[Sunstone]

Let's all panic.

 

[Runewolf1973]

Are there not more animals other than just bison that would be fleeing if there was an impending disaster?

 

[TurkeyOnRye]

Are there not more animals other than just bison that would be fleeing if there was an impending disaster?

Lots of different species have been observed to flee.

 

[Runewolf1973]

Lots of different species have been observed to flee.

Interesting. Thanks.

 

[CynthiaCypher]

Lots of different species have been observed to flee.

Trotting is fleeing now?

 

[Falvlun]

"It was a spring-like day and they were frisky. Contrary to online reports, it's a natural occurrence and not the end of the world," park spokeswoman Amy Bartlett said.

Perfect.

Frisky Buffalo. I think I just found my band name.

 

[Falvlun]

Nonetheless, it'll make for amazing fiction, actual survival stories, and great dinner conversations!

Speaking of fiction, I'm actually reading the young adult "Ashfall" series right now.

Yellowstone blows and basically civilization west of the Mississippi is wiped out, replaced by roving bands of cannibals. East of the Mississippi people resort to survivalist living and trying to figure out how to farm in the volcanic winter that follows. Pretty interesting, if you can get passed the stupid teenage boy protagonist.

 

[Sunstone]

I still think our best option is to panic.

 

[TurkeyOnRye]

Trotting is fleeing now?

I didn't mean within the context of this article. I meant in the past, in cases of impending disaster, we have observed many species to flee. In any case, even walking could be interpreted as trotting because the definition has nothing to do with rate of speed or quality of movement.

 

[CynthiaCypher]

I still think our best option is to panic.

I have better things to panic about such as Mars and the Earth are about to align, I saw a crow fall dead to the ground and my neighbor's cow gave birth to a two-headed calf.

 

[Sunstone]

Sadly that is true. I'm gonna be honest, I've been way too embarrassed to interact on my own thread. Normally I have the receptiveness to recognize fluff in a heartbeat, and I typically only reference peer-reviewed articles if anything. But through some alarming breach of critical observation...this topic appeared worthy of discussion. Hopefully just a fluke.

Relax. Human nature is highly succeptable to woo now and then. The remarkable thing is you have recognized and corrected your mistake. An overwhelming majority of people taken in by woo or fluff merely dig in their heels and adamantly stick to it when its nature is pointed out to them. Your response puts you squarely in the minority of reasonable people.

However, just to be on the safe side, I think we should all panic anyway.

 

[Runewolf1973]

Well, as least it wasn't about the hairless cats discovered on Mars.