A recent video captured at Yellowstone National Park showed a group of bison beginning to charge at some tourists who leapt out in front of them to get a way-too-close look. USA Today reported on the incident, which was filmed by another tourist, Adella Gonzalez, who was shooting video on her phone from a safe distance.
No one ended up being injured by the bison, Gonzalez said — but it's clear from the video that the tourists who escaped unharmed were lucky to do so.
@storyful_viral A woman captured the heart-stopping moment a herd of bison charged towards tourists at Yellowstone National Park. #bison #bisons #yellowstonenationalpark #animals #wildlife #fyp #foryoupage ♬ Stampede - Hans Zimmer
Unfortunately, videos of tourists provoking bison and other dangerous wild animals in national parks are all too common. One man was even arrested recently in Yellowstone for allegedly kicking a bison while intoxicated.
The National Park Service advises visitors to never approach wildlife and to stay at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves and at least 25 yards away from other animals, like bison and elk.
National parks like Yellowstone and the wildlife that call these places home are treasures that must be respected. Getting to visit a national park, or anywhere in nature, is a great privilege that is too easily abused, as we can see from all these videos of tourists behaving recklessly.
When someone approaches a wild animal, they are not only putting themselves at risk, but the animal as well. A bison that hurts a human may be deemed a public safety threat and be put down. This is traumatizing to the park staff as well, whose job it is to protect the environment and the animals therein.
"The ignorance … of people never ceases to amaze," wrote one commenter on the TikTok video of the incident.
"All these people making life difficult for bisons. Give it a rest with the photos," wrote another.
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"Again, if [they] hurt a human being … the animal is put down!" a third chimed in.
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