Safely observing animals in the wild is one of the many joys of visiting a national park or just exploring the wilderness, but some people refuse to follow best practices when dealing with wildlife, putting themselves and the animal in danger.
On the Instagram page for Tourons of National Parks ("touron" being a portmanteau of tourist and moron), a video was shared of tourists in Jasper National Park in Canada approaching a bull elk on the side of the road.
The person who originally shared the video with the page wrote: "Tourons of Jasper National Park. Crazy how many people walk right up. We were sitting in our car and it came closer to us. These people had no fear or respect."
Elk may be herbivores, but thanks to their size, speed, and tendency to charge when they feel threatened, especially during mating and calving seasons, they can cause serious harm to people who push their luck. The national park services in Canada recommend staying at least 30 meters (around 100 feet) away from elk and using a telephoto lens to photograph elk and other wildlife.
People have been injured by elk, like one man who was trampled by an elk at Yellowstone National Park in 2024. Other people have faced charges and attacks from bison and bears in national parks, often risking their lives for a photo or a chance to touch an animal.
Attacks are rare, but they not only cause harm to the person but also place the animal in danger of being euthanized if it's deemed a repeat threat to the community. It's an unfair label when it's often people pushing these animals to the brink and encouraging bad behavior, like feeding them.
People in the comments echoed the OP's frustration with the tourists' reckless behavior.
"I know you['re] tourists, doing tourist things, but be aware. Animals are wild [and] unpredictable," one advised.
"You just can't fix stupid people. They call them wild animals for a reason," another wrote.
Another added, "No idea why people think it's ok to get so dang close to a wild animal especially those who charge!!!!"
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