There seems to be no limits to people's lack of awareness and care for nature, especially large wildlife. One video shared on the Tourons of Yellowstone (@touronsofyellowstone) page shows how close tourons — a combination of "tourist" and "moron" — get to a bull (male) moose.
The footage shows a woman standing behind a tree, trying to snap a photo of the moose on her iPhone. Luckily, the moose continues eating the grass in front of the tree rather than charging at the woman.
Adult bull moose can tower over people at 6 feet tall at the shoulder and weigh more than 1,400 pounds. In short, they're not an animal you'd want to piss off.
The woman in the video isn't the only person who has risked their life getting too close to these unpredictable creatures. The account shared another video of two tourons taunting a moose in Montana; a subreddit featured someone who was charged by a moose after getting too close.
This video, like many of the others shared on the Tourons of Yellowstone page, shows the lack of care that people have for wildlife, who inhabited spaces long before humans did. While natural parks and public spaces allow people to interact with nature from a safe distance and grow a profound desire to protect it, it's clear that other people take advantage of the opportunities #ForTheGram. It is important for people to educate themselves about the ways to respect and properly interact with nature and wildlife.
Folks in the comments sections had some choice words for the woman. "She's lucky to be alive. Unbelievable what people do," one user wrote.
"A 400mm lens will get you as close if not closer without risking your life, just saying," one individual recommended. Others suggested that park officials should get more active with fining individuals who get closer than the mandatory distance of 25 yards from species like moose and elk.
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