Most people would think that a wrestling match between two 2,000-pound wild animals would be worth keeping your distance from.
These tourists somehow thought differently.
In shocking footage uploaded to the NowThis TikTok account, two people got way too close while trying to film a pair of North America's largest land mammals sparring in the middle of the road.
@nowthis Tourists were warned to stay away from these sparring bison in Yellowstone National Park. Video captured by onlookers shows the animals butting heads as they approach two tourists filming at close range. The park warns people to stay at least 25 yards from large animals like bison. #wildlife #animalsoftiktok #yellowstone ♬ Jungle & African Ambient Songs - Masucu
The brawl had stopped traffic, with fur flying as the bison butted heads. While one fascinated onlooker made the most of the zoom function on their camera to document the tussle, they were stunned to see others hadn't considered this an option.
"Hey, you guys need to back up," the person filming yelled at the clueless tourists inching ever closer to the melee. "They will kill you."
The video was taken at Yellowstone National Park, which has some pretty clear guidelines about respecting the local wildlife.
Yellowstone calls on visitors to stay at least 25 yards away from wildlife at all times, especially bison. The enormous bovines have injured more people at the park than any other animal, and the park warns they can be unpredictable.
Folks in the comment section on TikTok could not believe what they were seeing.
"The fact that they were so close AND outside of their car?? People need to learn to respect the bison," one user said.
"I don't get that close to my cats when they're fighting, let alone 2 BISON," added another.
"Why do I see so many videos of people getting like an [arm's] reach away from damn wild BISON?" another TikToker questioned.
The sheer force the two bison were displaying was a demonstration of why giving them all the space they need should be the priority in any close encounter.
Rules are put in place for a reason, and the two tourists were lucky their lack of respect for wildlife didn't result in dire consequences.
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