A tourist at Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada, obviously didn't know that you should stay at least 30 meters (about 33 yards) away from the park's wildlife at all times.
Well, they do now.
Video footage of an elk charging at a park-goer was posted to the touronsofnationalparks (@touronsofnationalparks) Instagram page, and it's clear the person filming got the fright of their life.
The camera was around two yards away from a young elk as they passed by, with the animal seemingly unfazed by the close-up.
However, irritation was bubbling under the surface, and when the wannabe filmmaker least suspected it, the elk lowered its head and went to strike.
The yelp of fear from the person recording demonstrated how unprepared they were for the elk to make its feelings known.
This happened in what seems to be a residential or visitor accommodation area, so at least the tourist didn't encroach on the elk's personal space out in the wild. Still, there was absolutely no need to be that close, and taking a video rather than worrying about your safety or the elk's peace and quiet was absolutely not advised.
"HAHAHAHAHA!!!" one Instagrammer commented. "SERVES YOU RIGHT!!! It's a shame he didn't have antlers."
"That elk had a poker face until the end!" one user observed.
"Do you get it now?" added another.
While there was a certain amount of schadenfreude in the comments section, there is a serious lesson to be learned from the misguided actions.
When visiting national parks, you are walking in the habitat of a number of animals. If they want to protect themselves or their offspring when they feel threatened, they have every right to do so. But it should never come to that point.
Walking in areas of natural beauty should increase your respect for wildlife, not diminish it. In fact, actions like this can put animals in danger, as they might be euthanized by park officials if they are deemed to be a threat to humans following habituation.
The person in the video may have been on the wrong end of a headbutt if they weren't so quick to escape, but the consequences could have been even more disastrous for the elk.
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