Paying Homage

This is from my files from last year. As I sort and process, sometimes the original emotion of a scene still lingers.

I had came upon a recently deceased bison in Wind Cave National Park and noticed a small herd of other bison approaching. I was surprised that they altered their line of travel to check out the scene, with cows, calves and bulls all showing great interest in coming close enough to touch and smell the body. Many seemed reluctant to move on. This bull is exhibiting the behavior and is one of the few where the scene is not a mob of onlooking, crowding-in bison.

When I described the scene to a park biologist he told me it is something he has also witnessed, saying sometimes a lone bison will detour a long distance to stand for a bit over skeletal remains. He referred to the behavior with his personal interpretation, as "paying homage."

This represents a strong crop to eliminate parts of another bison just behind this bull, and to put you the viewer even closer to the intimate inspection.

D3s, iso 640, f7.1, 1/200, 200mm