Back away from the animal with giant, sharp antlers. While that would seem to be intuitive for most of us, there is increasing evidence that many tourists are blissfully unaware of the dangers of wild elk.
The Tourons of National Parks Instagram account (@touronsofnationalparks) posted a video, taken by Instagrammer Diane Asher, where a visitor flirts with disaster.
Per the caption, the action takes place at Rocky Mountain National Park, where a tourist takes photos at uncomfortably close range to a large elk. They even dare to move closer to it as it nears them.
Off-screen, visitors exclaim, "Oh my god!" in concern and laugh as the elk takes notice of the human. At the same time, a possible companion gets out of dodge as the animal approaches.
Fortunately, the elk seems to be in a forgiving mood and is content to merely walk a little closer and gaze at the visitor. The tourist finally gets the message and retreats quite slowly.
Throughout the video, various animal noises can be heard, and the video's caption also refers to the rut, or mating season, when this video very well might've been taken. During the rut, elk might be increasingly aggressive, which is even more reason to be cautious in their presence.
At all times, Rocky Mountain National Park encourages visitors to stay at least 75 feet away from wild elk. Obviously, this tourist was nowhere close to that distance.
Making matters worse, the Park instructs that "if wildlife approaches you, back away and maintain a safe distance," and "if a wild animal changes its behavior due to your presence, you are too close."
This tourist appears to escape unscathed, but others haven't been so lucky. While everyone wants the perfect photo with wild elk, it's simply not worth taking the risk.
Increased human interactions with wild animals are also bad for them, as they can be euthanized for attacking humans even when provoked. Dependence on humans for food can also turn fatal.
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Definitely 👍 Therefore, the best move is to abide by the rules and aim for a responsible vacation where you marvel at the wild animals from a distance. Instagram users poked fun at the tourist's reckless behavior.
"You can tell in this relationship who has life insurance and who does not," one joked.
"He would have sent that woman flying had he charged her," another remarked.
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