BOZEMAN – Officials with Yellowstone National Park and the Montana Department of Transportation are warning drivers to watch out for bison on the highway north of the park, after 15 of the animals were killed in three separate crashes earlier this week.
At around 2:30 a.m. Sunday, a car struck seven bison on U.S. Highway 191. Yellowstone officials say four died because of the impact and three others were injured so badly they had to be euthanized.
Then early Monday, eight bison were hit, seven by a semi truck and the eighth by a sport utility vehicle.
The bison are wandering out of the park to give birth to calves and some are grazing on the side of the road, where the snow has melted.
Because of the increase in bison activity, the Montana Highway Patrol had already reduced the speed limit to 55 mph on the stretch of road north of the park.