When most people lay eyes on a bear, they are overcome with the primal instinct to survive. This likely includes getting a safe distance away — or just leaving the situation altogether.
These tourists did not have such instincts.
A Redditor took to r/Banff to share a photo of several tourists, presumably at Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada, standing right across a rather flimsy-looking fence from a grizzly bear.
"Ah the season of 'the wire fence is so protective from grizzly bears!'" the Redditor captioned their post. "Don't be dumb tourists. This isn't a zoo, and a wire fence isn't protecting you."
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service recommends never approaching a grizzly bear and always staying at least 100 yards away from them — or about the length of a football field.
The behavior by these tourists exhibits a carelessness and disrespect for wildlife. The privilege of witnessing the natural world firsthand is paramount to our future here on Earth, because climate awareness begins with respect for nature. But increased interactions between humans and nature should be about understanding and appreciation, not endangerment.
This kind of recklessness from tourists inhibits the connection that other individuals might be trying to have with nature. Watching these events unfold is stressful for bystanders and potentially for the park rangers whose job it is to protect the wildlife in the park.
Others took to the comment section of this Redditor's post to express their frustration with the tourists' actions.
"People with cameras feel so entitled to just walk up to the beasts," one person commented.
"It only takes one to litter before everyone litters," another said, "one to walk over to a bear before they all do."
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