Yet another post from TouronsOfYellowstone (@touronsofyellowstone) shows how some tourists are willing to take risks to get too close to a wild animal.
In this case, a grizzly bear was the focus of attention.
When people get too close to bears, especially grizzlies, they're putting their own safety at risk. Sadly, if the bear got spooked and tried to defend itself from intrusion on its personal space or was attempting to protect a cub, it would have likely suffered for it, as animals involved in human-related conflicts are often euthanized. However, grizzlies aren't the only creatures to keep your distance from. In another similar situation at the park, a tourist got rammed by an elk after he ignored repeated warnings not to get too close for photos.
At Mount Blue Sky, a man walked through a herd of mountain goats, forcing them to move to accommodate him. Despite appearing docile, goat horns can and have impaled people — a known aggressive one killed a hiker at Olympic National Park in 2010, per the BBC.
Unlike goats and elks, grizzlies don't have a docile reputation, so getting too close to one is especially dangerous. These animals have claws that grow up to 5 inches, large canine teeth to kill prey, run up to 40 mph, and can weigh up to 700 pounds, according to the Denver Zoo. So, stay back when you see one and use a long-range camera lens.
"Bear buffet right there," quipped one comment.
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Speaking of buffets, wild animals aren't domesticated dogs or cats, so they know how to forage for food. According to the Instagram account, "there was another report of people feeding that bear!"
Even if people mean well, feeding wild animals can be more detrimental than good, as human food disrupts their natural diets and includes unhealthy elements like sugar or too much fat.
This practice may also cause them to become dependent on human feeding and stop their natural hunting. Becoming used to human food may encourage wild animals to approach people to beg or steal food and turn from docile to aggressive, per the U.S Fish & Wildlife Service.
Unshockingly, the comments were annoyed at the encroachment on the bear's space.
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As someone commented, "The worst part is that if anything happens the bear gets killed."
"Too close. Not worth it. Fines Hospital Bills. Too close," said one. "Get back in your cars and stay there!" demanded another.
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