This isn't the animal you want to be sneaking up on for a playful shoulder tap.
A tourist was quickly reminded that bison aren't looking to play games after the huge animal got wise to their presence. The moment was captured by Sean Swetter and shared on Storyful's (@Storyful) Twitter account.
A bison charged at a man who was approaching the animal from behind at Yellowstone National Park. pic.twitter.com/44j9opgVaM
— Storyful (@Storyful) April 29, 2022
The footage begins with a tourist getting uncomfortably close to a grazing bison in an apparent snowstorm. The bison is minding its own business right off a dirt path.
As the man encroaches even further, the bison turns deliberately. It then shifts rapidly into charge mode. That move sends the tourist into a panic, prompting him to retreat hastily.
Fortunately for the man, the bison was just looking to get rid of them and not actually harm them. It decelerates almost immediately while the man nearly loses his footing on a bridge as the video cuts out.
The man's actions were very much at odds with what Yellowstone and the National Park Service advise when spotting a bison out in the wild. They stress the need to maintain a distance of at least 25 yards and to avoid approaching the animal.
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These majestic animals are North America's largest land mammals, with some weighing over 2,000 pounds. Despite their size, they can reach speeds of up to 35 miles per hour, and they have pretty quick reflexes, as the video shows.
They're also unpredictable. While some might be completely unbothered by a human acting like the tourist in the video, others can take exception and do much more than just feign a charge.
That's why bison are the animals that have injured the most humans at Yellowstone over the years. Inappropriate interactions can endanger both humans and wildlife. Animals that harm humans may face euthanasia, even if provoked, like this bison was by the tourist.
The park is a sanctuary for creatures like bison. Keeping a proper distance to marvel at them safely allows the wild animals to be wild and humans to avoid getting gored in painful fashion.
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$200 or more 💰 Commenters on YouTube were alarmed by the tourist's risky behavior.
"That was a bluff charge," one noted. "If that bison meant it that man would have been seriously hurt."
"The only one that should walk up on a bison is another bison," another mused.
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