Caught in the Wire
A young bison calf pulled against the tight twist of barbed wire looped around its hind leg.
Rain dripped from the strands of rusty steel onto the muddy roadside. Each time the calf shifted weight, the metal pinched deeper into its wet, brown coat.
Just a few feet away on the asphalt, a massive adult bison stood square, chest facing forward, nostrils flaring as rain pooled on the pavement.
A pickup truck pulled onto the narrow gravel shoulder and clicked into park.
Approaching the Herd
A woman in a bright yellow rain jacket stepped out and walked toward the flatbed.
She reached into a tool compartment and pulled out a pair of heavy red-handled wire cutters, pulling her leather work gloves tight over her fingers.
The mother bison shifted her weight, dark eyes locked on the woman as she walked toward the fence line.
The woman lowered her head, kept her pace even, and moved directly toward the tangled calf.
She dropped to one knee in the wet grass beside the animal’s flank.
The Delicate Cut
The calf pushed its snout forward, trembling as the steel fence strained against the wooden post.
The woman slid the jaws of the cutters between the tight loops of wire binding the rear hoof.
With both gloved hands on the handles, she squeezed down until the metal snapped clean.
The coiled tension gave way, and the wire dropped loose into the mud.
The calf jerked its leg free, stumbled forward a step, and planted all four hooves on solid ground.
Rejoining the Path
The giant mother bison stepped forward, lowering her massive head to nuzzle the calf’s neck.
The woman remained crouched on the grass, holding the wire cutters low at her side as steam rose from the mother’s wet coat.
The calf gave a small kick, turned toward the open road, and trotted directly alongside its mother.
The woman stood up, smiling as the pair walked down the wet asphalt toward the rest of the herd waiting beneath the mist-covered pine trees.
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