Along the Trexler Nature Preserve in Schnecksville, PA, you’ll find a lookout which oversees the Lehigh Valley Zoo. Should you continue along the trail, you’ll find your way to a fenced off area, host to a small herd of bison. These large, stoic creatures can grow up to 11 feet in length, and weigh upwards of 2,500 lbs.
Both male and female bison can be found here; the females tend to have more of a woolly tuft of hair atop their heads, while the males’ hairdo tends to be matted forward.
On our hike, these friends were peacefully grazing – occasionally giving a swift, timbered exhale that could only come from a creature so large. One smaller (smaller being incredibly relative in this instance) bison was unique, in that her horns were asymmetrical – one pointed skyward, while the other was more in line with whichever direction she was facing at any given moment. Shortly after we made note of the bison’s asymmetry, two larger (larger being still quite relative, yet less-so than when referring to a smaller bison) bison engaged in a bit of a clash with each other.
It is at this point, I’m informed that as a rule of thumb, if you hold said thumb out in front of you, and it does not fully cover the animal for which you’re observing, you are – in fact – in danger (danger, also, being an incredibly relative term considering the fence in between said animal and aforementioned thumb). Armed with this knowledge, the newly-discovered knowledge that my thumb would barely cover enough of said larger bison to preserve even the slightest semblance of the creature’s modesty, and the knowledge that these nearly-one-ton-beasts can run at speeds up to 35mph, a brand new idea was born.
That idea?
To move slightly further away from the fence.
The portion of the trail we hit was overall pretty short, and not too intense, and it is genuinely a safe and great experience to see the bison up close. Overall, it made for a very enjoyable, first-80-degree-day-of-the-year hike.
Keep on working, great job!