A viral video posted to Instagram is drawing the ire of the internet, as it shows tourists getting entirely too close to feeding bears.
Instagram account touronsofnationalparks (@touronsofnationalparks) shared a video of tourists parked on a road in Grand Teton National Park while a grizzly bear feeds on what appears to be a dead deer just a few feet away.
To make matters worse, the tourists have gotten out of their cars to take pictures and video, and multiple children can be seen in the frame walking around as well.
Grizzly bears are no joke. While they're not usually an active threat when they're eating, that could change quickly if they decide that the people nearby are a threat to their food source, according to the caption of the video.
Dangerous encounters with wildlife have been frequent in recent years.
In June, an 83-year-old woman was gored by a bison after getting too close, and another man was attacked by one in April after allegedly kicking it. Bear attacks are much rarer, but a hunter was hospitalized in August after being attacked on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska.Â
Interacting with wildlife in national parks and other natural settings is dangerous, but feeding bears remains a major problem, according to the National Park Service.Â
"Sadly, bears that obtain human food may lose their natural fear of humans," the NPS website says. "Over time, they may become bold or aggressive in their attempts to obtain human food and become a threat to public safety." Once that happens, the bear has to be killed.
Bears are a crucial piece of any forest ecosystem, according to the NPS. They are what's known as "ecosystem engineers," meaning they adapt their environments, and they provide important population control on deer and other prey species. Their droppings provide valuable nitrogen to the soil, which boosts plant growth to help keep our planet green.
Commenters were quick to point out how dangerous stopping to watch the bear eat was.
"They're clueless of the potential danger," one commenter said. "You never know what a wild animal will do."
"Are you kidding me?" said an Instagrammer who was stunned by the footage.
"Sorry, never bothering a wild animal while they are eating," another pointed out.
"These people have no respect," a third noted.
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