Traveler captures unsuspecting tourists encroaching on wild elk: 'Sightseers oftentimes lose their common sense'

Despite looking tame, elk can be aggressive — especially when people threaten their space or calves. However, these warnings are often ignored by tourists who enjoy getting up close to snap a photo or sometimes even pet an animal.

A traveler in Jasper National Park issued a caution in a YouTube video as they filmed tourists approaching an elk to get up-close photos. They kept their distance and wrote in the caption of the video that while it may be impossible to avoid elk in Jasper, "sightseers oftentimes lose their common sense in the Maligne Canyon parking lot and on the trail where elk use the same paths as visitors."

They added: "Many city folks take it too far by snapping selfies with these wild animals only inches from their antlers. Remember, even though they look cute and cuddly, they are wild animals."

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National parks explicitly warn against getting up close to wild animals. A page on elk safety on the park website states that elk can attack without warning. Multiple occurrences of tourists disturbing wildlife showcase that there is not enough awareness about the dangers of approaching wildlife.

The U.S. National Park Service advises to always stay a minimum of 25 yards away from wild animals. It is also illegal to feed, touch, tease, frighten, or intentionally disturb wildlife.

"Remember that wildlife in parks are wild and can be unpredictable when they're disturbed or surprised. Interacting with wildlife also can cause harm to both people and wildlife, including injury and disease," the NPS wrote in a blog post.