Taking a tour of nature can be peaceful and enlightening, but when people don't exhibit a healthy respect for the wild, things can go wrong quickly.
One frustrated Redditor posted a video in the r/instant_regret subreddit showing a large group of tourists attempting to cross from one sheet of ice to another. Most of them ended up splashing into the icy waters. The original poster wrote: "Tourists ignore warning signs and proceed to walk on rapidly melting ice sheets."
There have been many instances where tourons (a derogatory term combining the words "tourist" and "moron") have been careless in a national park and then injured. Wherever you are in nature, it's important to be aware of your surroundings and follow all signage for your own safety as well as the safety of others. Nature is beautiful yet unpredictable.
That includes the wildlife. Disrespect for animals has resulted in humans being injured, and their behavior endangers the animals, too. When an animal injures a person, provoked or not, the animal may be euthanized. The National Park Foundation advises: "Remember — you're the visitor in the place that wildlife call home!"
Climate awareness begins with respect for the natural world around us. Human-wildlife interactions are a chance for people to gain a greater understanding of nature and increase their desire to protect it, not abuse or exploit it.
A disregard for nature can cause damage, as these tourists did, and ruin a potentially wonderful experience for others. It can be stressful for bystanders and wildlife when tourons behave inappropriately. It also creates hardship for park rangers who have a responsibility to protect the ecosystem.
People shared their frustration with the tourons on the OP's post. Imagining what the people in the video were saying, one user wrote: "'We almost died right there…' 'Oh wait I dropped my mitten!'"
One Redditor joked: "You had me at, 'Tourists ignore warning…'"
"I'm sure they all brought a change of clothes, right?" another user quipped.
One Redditor said: "That's what I call a life lesson."
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