A video of a tourist's actions in Jasper National Park, Canada, showed why you should never play chicken with an elk.
Posted to touronsofnationalparks (@touronsofnationalparks), the video shows a man photographing an antlered elk from a very close distance. The elk shows clear signs of agitation and aggression, lowering its antlers at the man and threatening to attack.
As the video plays, an unseen spectator warns the man, saying, "Excuse me, sir, run. Go, it's not funny. Get. Someone's gonna die."
They have a good point, too. An elk's antlers could cause serious injury or worse, and this provocative behavior also risks the life of the animal, which is often euthanized in national parks if it becomes aggressive.
The National Park Service advises you stay at least 25 yards from most wildlife and more from bears and wolves, a memo the touron in this video either didn't get or chose not to follow. "Visitors are responsible for their own safety and for the safety of the animals, too," the website states. "Simply put, leave animals alone—no touching, no feeding, no harassing."
While our parks, and nature in general, are beautiful vacation places that allow us to see wildlife, among other incredible sights, the animals and environments should be treated with respect, and wildlife-human interactions should be handled responsibly.
Recklessness like that of this tourist is stressful for both wildlife and bystanders, as evidenced by this video. Sadly, these instances have become all too common, and this type of behavior has been seen in parks everywhere, including Yellowstone and Estes Park.
"How are people so clueless?" asked one shocked viewer of the video.
"It's pretty arrogant of humans to think they can have all power over the natural instincts of animals," said another.
"He should be prosecuted for harassing wildlife," added one more.
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