A TikTok user learned a painful lesson courtesy of the largest land mammal in North America.
@ari.ela.k Honestly super painful but I love the Bison no less xoxo #bisonattack ♬ Circus - Color Clownies
A video from Ariela (@ari.ela.k) shows her reaching out of her car window to pet a bison after feeding it.
One flick of the animal's massive head later, and her elbow is suddenly in a very unnatural position.
The text on the video at least suggests a level of self-awareness on the uploader's part — it could've been much worse.
Every year, dozens of people are injured by bison in national parks, sometimes seriously. According to the National Park Service, a fully-grown adult can weigh up to 2,000 pounds and reach speeds of up to 35 miles an hour in short bursts.
They get pretty ornery around mating season, which is why the parks strongly recommend keeping your distance from them — at least 23 meters.
Unfortunately, as this and so many other videos show, warning signs are all too easy to ignore to the detriment of the park and its wildlife.
Feeding wild animals is dangerous for both parties, as human food is unsuitable for animals, and it causes them to lose their fear of people.
National parks make for a great low-impact vacation destination, and connecting with nature does wonders for your physical and mental health.
However, visitors have important responsibilities when visiting parks. A good maxim to share with others is to "leave no trace" of your visit behind.
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Definitely 👍 Predictably, there was precious little sympathy for the TikToker in the comments.
"Aren't bison known to be aggressive?" asked one response.
"I guarantee that wherever they're visiting had signs saying not to reach out and touch the animals," another commenter pointed out.
A slightly more empathetic commenter noted, "I'm sorry that happened, but bison are aggressive and very territorial, they should not be in drive-through petting zoos."
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