A Redditor posted a video of yet another tourist at Yellowstone National Park leaving good sense behind and getting way too close to a bison to try to get some good pictures.
It seems to have become more common for tourists at Yellowstone to be disrespectful of their environment, whether it's tourists going into areas where they're not allowed, or taunting the wildlife. Sometimes tourists are so irresponsible that they even put children's lives in danger.
The video begins showing a bison blocking a road, with vehicles stopped on either side of it. A man walks in front of one of the nearest vehicles, then stops and crouches to get his pics. A boy is also seen outside a vehicle, jogging not too far in front of the bison with his cellphone.
The video is headlined, "Tourist in Yellowstone National Park, USA approaches bison for a photograph, walking to within feet of the animal."
The Redditor linked to an article in the comments to explain more: "The man has been criticized for reckless and illegal behavior. Commenters also lambasted the parents of a child who is shown jogging in front of the bison with his cellphone."
According to the National Park Service, the safest way to observe bison is to stay in your vehicle. However, if you are outside your vehicle, they recommend staying at least 25 yards (23 meters) away from bison. With almost 5,000 bison in Yellowstone, it's important to heed the advice.
While the man and the boy were lucky that the bison just sauntered off, not all tourists who get too close to bison are so fortunate.
Though Yellowstone is home to some of the top predators on the planet, like wolves, bears, and mountain lions, bison are responsible for more animal-related injuries than any other animal in the park.
Approaching bison just isn't a good idea. They're huge and can run three times faster than humans. Last July, a woman suffered fractured vertebrae and collapsed lungs after being gored by a bison in Yellowstone.
Encounters like this one highlight the crucial need for more education and awareness surrounding how to respect and interact with wildlife and nature.
At parks like Yellowstone, the rules are in place for a reason: to ensure visitors are responsible when observing wildlife.
When interactions aren't respectful of the habitat, it can create unnecessary hurdles for the animals at risk of being euthanized if they attack, fellow visitors who are attempting to respectfully interact with the land, and the park rangers whose job it is to preserve the park's ecosystem.
The Redditor states that the footage was captured in 2020 but has gained new life online.
One commenter on the video posted, "A hardworking sportsman competing to win the Darwin Award."
Another commenter, who clearly knows better than the man in the video, said, "I've taken lots of pictures of bison…never got that close, even with a s***** camera."
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