I'll keep it rated PG: One tourist at Yellowstone National Park "messed around and found out" when it came to approaching a wild elk.
The TouronsOfYellowstone Instagram account (@touronsofyellowstone), which highlights tourists who act foolishly in the park, shared the moment a tourist got way too close.
According to the caption, a park visitor on a guided tour captured the near-disastrous confrontation between a man and the elk. While the tourist's group observed from a safe distance, the tour guide presciently noted that other visitors had no idea how fast the animal could reach them if provoked.
Meanwhile, a man in the background crept closer and closer to the wild elk, tempting fate. Eventually, the animal charged with impressive speed at the man, causing him to scurry away before more damage was done.
As the situation played out, the tour guide yelled "get back" and advised the man that "it's not worth the photo." Afterward, the guide and the group members were taken aback by the tourist's brazen actions, with one calling them "seriously crazy."
The interaction ended probably as harmlessly for the tourist as it could have, but many incidents involving wild animals don't, as USA Today documented this spring.
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It's important for visitors to Yellowstone to remember the park is not a zoo, and the rules in place specifically forbid feeding and approaching wild animals to take photos.
It's not just humans who are at risk, as officials have authorized the euthanization of animals in the past after irresponsible human-initiated interactions. Treating these animals with respect is one part of vacationing responsibly.
Commenters on Instagram were baffled and frustrated by the visitor's close call with the wild elk.
"People don't learn," one commenter vented.
"WTF is wrong with people," another Instagrammer pondered, before suggesting that people who approach animals should be fined.
Some users thought the tourist deserved even more of a comeuppance, with one stating: "I always root for the animals."
While that attitude can be tempting to have, the best outcome of this incident would be for this tourist and others to learn from it and give wild animals their space in the future.
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