Visiting national parks is an incredibly popular way to spend the summer. The U.S. National Park Service reported that there were over 325 million visitors in 2023. If you have ever visited one, it's easy to see why so many people choose to visit the gorgeous areas.
Unfortunately, with millions of visitors a year, there are bound to be some issues. One parkgoer in Yellowstone narrowly avoided disaster when they got way too close to a wild bison.
The video was shared by TouronsOfYellowstone (@touronsofyellowstone). In the clip, a person is seen a few yards away from a bison, which lowers its head at the person too close for comfort.
"Why does he just stand there? Why doesn't he walk away?" a person in the background is heard asking in astonishment.
"This is how you end up in the Mammoth Clinic or air lifted into Denver or Billings!" the caption reads. "Always be aware of your surroundings when walking in Yellowstone."
The person eventually backed away from the bison without any issue, but the animal's body language communicated that it was uncomfortable — it even stomped its feet a few times. The NPS warns tourists should always stay around 75 feet (23 meters) away from bison.
And while this person was able to get away unscathed, not everyone is so lucky.
One woman was gored by a bison at Yellowstone this summer after being "caught off guard," per TheStreet. More information about what led to that incident is not available, but when humans flout rules at parks, it can also lead to animals having to be euthanized.
It's unclear from the video if this person approached the bison — or was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time — but hopefully, they have learned to stay vigilant.
Commenters on this post had plenty to say about the tourist.
"Why do people approach bison? Are they asking for trouble?" wrote one person.
"I was at Badlands NP last week and a herd of 200 bison crossed the road and nobody got out of their cars, and nobody approached them. It was very refreshing," another shared.
Someone else commented: "Dude is lucky to walk away."
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