A hiker in Jackson, Wyoming, demonstrated incredibly reckless behavior when he approached two moose on a snowy path and allegedly sprayed them with bear spray.
The incident was captured on camera by bystander Jeffrey Cisneros (@jeppy_cisneros), who filmed the encounter from a safe distance, which the National Park Service defines as 25 yards (75 feet).
"This guy was pissed because he couldn't do his morning walk because the moose were on the walking trail," said Cisneros, per the @touronsofnationalparks account, which shared the video. "We reported him to [the Wyoming Game and Fish Department]."
If you're not sure why it's a bad idea to approach a moose, the video will provide clues. Even a cow moose is a massive animal — the two in the video are visibly taller than the man approaching them, and they certainly weigh much more. Bulls are even larger.
In the video, one of the moose can be seen charging toward the man. Luckily for him, what the person filming said was bear spray scares the moose off, and he is unhurt.
But even with bear spray, that outcome isn't guaranteed. An animal that is angry and in pain can lash out and could do serious damage.
Plus, this approach is unnecessarily violent and harmful toward the animals themselves. While it might be inconvenient at times, avoiding wildlife is safer for us and for them.
Unfortunately, this is far from the first time that a hiker or tourist has encroached on a wild animal's space. Social media is full of examples of people behaving badly, often just to get a better picture. In many cases, the results have been scary or even harmful.
Commenters were not impressed with this person's irresponsible actions. "He bear spray the moose and then kept walking towards them. Why tf is he that close to them?" asked one user. "This is why we can't have nice things."
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Definitely 👍 "Arrest this clown," said another outraged commenter.
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