Onlooker captures video of tourists' upsetting encounter with wild animal: 'Most certainly in distress'

As humans encroach on wildlife habitats, disturbing videos arise, just like the one a Redditor shared from an incident in Japan. 

The video of the deer posted in the r/japanresidents subreddit showed the animal thrashing its head around, and at a closer look, you can see a handbag stuck to its antlers.

Shitty tourist.
by injapanresidents

(Click here to watch the video if the embed does not appear.)

It's unclear how the handbag got wrapped around the deer's antlers, but many people and other deer were around the park. One deer even looked at it as it tried to get the handbag off its head. 

"That deer is most certainly in distress," one Redditor commented.

While it may seem exciting to see a deer up close and personal like this, it's putting the animal and yourself in danger. Wildlife can be provoked and feel the need to attack. In one incident in Colorado, a couple can be seen taking pictures close to elk, only to have one of them charge at them. The man stepped back, tripped, and injured himself.

Another video of a tourist taking a selfie with a deer showed the deer smacking her hand with its antlers. 

While these incidents didn't end too direly, it's a risk to get that close to wildlife. Not only can you get hurt, but the animal can get hurt. Additionally, if the animal severely hurts you, it can be euthanized.

You can still marvel at the wonder of wildlife, but it should be done safely. The National Park Service has a webpage dedicated to tips on how to keep yourself safe if you encounter wild animals, such as bears, buffalo, and elk. 

Additionally, it gives general safety tips for watching wildlife. While each park has its own rules, it's generally good to keep 25 yards away from most animals and 100 yards away from bears and wolves. It suggests using binoculars or a zoom lens.

"Let wildlife be wild and observe from a distance," the National Park Service noted.

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These encounters can also be stressful for other park guests, diminishing their own experiences. If you are an animal lover, it would be hard to watch the deer in distress — as was the case for Redditors in the comments.

"The deer can get aggressive. Would you dare risk walking over to take it off?" one user asked.

"I wouldn't go anywhere near a wild animal with antlers that's violently shaking its horns," another commented.

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