Wild animals sometimes look so fuzzy and cute that people want to think of them as friends. One national park visitor took that too far when she tried to lean out of a car window to touch a bison.
A Redditor posted a video showing a woman leaning out of a car window, begging the driver to get closer to a bison in the road. When she couldn't quite reach it, she begged, "Let him be my friend. Let him be my friend."
Seeing wild animals up close and personal is definitely one of the best things about the National Park System in the United States. However, people forget that being so close to humans has an effect on the animals that isn't the best.
According to the Working Group on Environmental Auditing, wildlife tourism can disturb the animals in their natural habitats. This can frighten the animals and may even affect important parts of their lives, like their breeding patterns and cycles.
Outside Magazine reports that tourists are making more and more poor choices when it comes to animals in the national parks. People want pictures and videos to post on social media or share with their friends, and they take unnecessary risks to get them. Sometimes, this backfires to the point where either the people or the animals die because of the interaction between them.
Other Redditors seem to agree that the tourist in the video didn't make a wise life choice.
"People like this need to stay home. They ruin the experience for everyone else," one said.
"Yellowstone belongs to the wildlife, we are visitors. Bothering the animals, or attempting to, is wrong," another added.
This woman isn't the only one not showing nature the respect it deserves. Some build cairns, not knowing how harmful they can be. Others leave their trash deep in the woods. Avoid problems like these by learning to be a responsible tourist before you leave home.
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