It shouldn't be that difficult for tourists in national parks to obey park rules and stay far away from dangerous wildlife. But, unfortunately, doing so seems impossible for some.
Facebook user Tom Bonello shared a video of tourists who were hanging out far too closely to a bison in a Yellowstone National Park group.
I guess the tourists were following the bison to see where he lived or ask it a question.
Posted by Tom Bonello on Monday, June 10, 2024
The video shows a couple casually walking behind a bison as it ambles down a road. Bonello wrote, "I guess the tourists were following the bison to see where he lived or ask it a question."
Other Facebook users in the group were less than impressed by the behavior.
"How do these people live that long?" one person questioned.
Another simply stated that people like this "ruin everything for others."
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According to Yellowstone National Park's website, bison can run up to 35 miles per hour and are agile on their feet, so it wouldn't take them long to catch up to a human.
The website also states that visitors should stay at least 23 meters away from bison, which the people in the video were clearly not doing.
Had that bison turned around, seen them, and felt threatened, it could have injured or killed one or both of them within seconds.
In fact, many human-wildlife encounters end in this manner, like the man who was gored in Yellowstone in June 2025 and luckily suffered only minor injuries. In another incident, one woman barely escaped being charged by a bison.
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Definitely 👍 These encounters aren't only potentially deadly for humans, though. When an animal attacks a human, whether the human provoked the animal or not, wildlife authorities might track the animal down and euthanize it.
This leads to reduced animal populations, which can have a significant effect on the environment.
According to one study, the bison in Yellowstone are responsible for making plants 150% more nutritious through their grazing. Without them, the area's soil and biodiversity would suffer immensely, wreaking havoc on Yellowstone's ecosystem.
Park rules are in place to protect both humans and wildlife, so visitors should abide by them.
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