Respect goes a long way, especially when it comes to safety. For many who enjoy visiting the great national parks around the United States, following safety tips benefits both tourists and the wildlife within.
Unfortunately, not all national park visitors may take the suggestions to heart, putting themselves at risk. One Yellowstone tourist saw instant legal consequences after harassing wild bison.
A clip originally posted by TikToker Heather Hyer Hailes (@heatherhyerhailes) and posted on the subreddit r/tourons as "Idaho Falls Man vs Yellowstone Bison" highlights the confrontation with national park wildlife and its impact as it took place on a main road traveled by many other tourists.
The culprit was caught on video dodging an aggressive bison across the road, eventually falling over until the threatened wildlife walked away. An infographic at the end of the video post reads, "Don't Pet The Fluffy Cows. Think Safety. Act Safely."
Yellowstone is, unfortunately, not the only park area that has encountered daring tourists. In Alaska, for example, tourists were caught getting out of their cars along the Klondike Highway to get up close and personal with a brown bear grazing along the side.
At the Canyonlands National Park in Utah, a tourist was caught posing for photos on top of a protected arch despite signs warning park visitors to keep off the designated area.
National parks do much for citizens, especially when it comes to biodiversity and conservation. According to the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard, the average annual sequestration of harmful air pollution from National Park Service land totals up to 17.5 million metric tons — a significant effect on air quality for neighboring communities.
As these protected areas across the U.S. see more than 330 million visitors a year, it is vital to practice safe wildlife viewing to maintain respect and habitat conservation.
In a study conducted by the Yale School of the Environment, it was found that the world's wildlife populations have declined by almost 70% in the last 50 years. When it comes to biodiversity and adapting to a warming planet, wild animals may be a key link.
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By informing ourselves of the roles each of us has, including wildlife, in solving rising temperatures, we can maintain respect and prevent incidents that endanger both from taking place.
"He could have been killed," wrote one Redditor shocked at the incident.
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