The two international tourists who made headlines after they tried to rescue a bison calf are not the only ones to make a misguided decision about wildlife.

(Getty Images/Jim Cumming)

At a Glance

A wildlife official made the same mistake with a bison calf as a pair of visitors to Yellowstone did two months ago.The official tried to help a calf that had become ill.

It seems the well-meaning tourists blastedtwo months ago for their attempt to rescue a baby bison in Yellowstone National Park are not the only misguided rescuers-to-be.

A new federal investigation indicates that a government wildlife expert made the same mistake.

In May, two international visitors to Yellowstone arrived at a ranger station with the bison calf in the trunk of their SUV, saying they thought the little guy was cold. After attempts to reunite the calf with its herd failed, officials said . The incident led to global ridicule for the visitors on social media and incredulitiesby the public.

The encounter with the calf prompted Morgan Warthin of the National Park Service to urge visitors to respect wildlife and park regulations.

“Approaching wild animals can drastically affect their well-being and, in this case, their survival,” she said in a statement.

Ranger Attempts a MisguidedRescue

As it turns out, even wildlife officials can make the same error out of the same desire to help abandoned or ill animals.

According to an Interior Department an unnamed Park Service supervisory natural resource specialist removed a sickly buffalo calf from Badlands National Park in South Dakota and brought it to his house, where the calf reportedly died.

The investigation conducted by the Office of Inspector General concluded that the calf’s removal was authorized by the park’s acting superintendent but violated NPS policy, as well as state and federal law.

“The local police chief chose not to cite the supervisory natural resource specialist for the misdemeanor violation and the U.S. Attorney’s Office declined prosecution,” the report states.

(WATCH:)

Christine Powell, an NPS spokeswoman, told The Washington Post in a statement Friday that and appreciates the inspector general bringing the incident to light.

And while the wildlife official and the supervisor were not cited, nor ridiculed publicly, Shamash Kassam and his son received a bashing for their attempt to rescue a bison in May. and was required to donate $500 to the park’s wildlife protection fund, according to the Huffington Post.

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