If you've been a lifelong admirer of wildlife, then you probably already know that it deserves to be treated with respect and given space. That's especially true when traveling through a national park.
However, for some people, a lack of reverence for animals can sometimes lead to unnecessary confrontations. For one tourist, their antagonistic behavior towards a wild elk led to some unexpected consequences.
The equal parts frustrating and entertaining Instagram account Tourons of National Parks (@touronsofnationalparks) shared a short video that demonstrated exactly what happens when animals aren't respected.
In the clip, we can see a driver who happens across a wild elk in the middle of a road. Instead of giving the elk some space and waiting until they crossed the road, the driver continued to slowly pull up closer to the animal until they were just feet away.
If that wasn't enough, the driver even began to throw some trash talk at the elk.
"Watch out buddy," the driver can be heard saying in the video. "You wanna fight? You wanna go bud."
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After a few tense moments, the elk rammed into the driver's front left tire, causing it to quickly deflate.
Although it appears that neither the driver nor the animal were harmed in the brief standoff, the situation could have easily gotten out of hand.
Weighing around 700 pounds, male elk can certainly inflict a decent amount of damage, especially with their large antlers. Because of this, the National Park Service recommends that people stay at least 25 yards away from elk at all times.
When wildlife is involved in incidents with humans, officials must weigh their options to best protect both guests and wildlife. When these incidents include injuries to visitors or an animal that has become desensitized to the population, park rangers may be forced to euthanize the animal to prevent further incidents.
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Definitely 👍 In the comments section, most users couldn't help but offer their support for the elk seen in the video.
"Most satisfying video I've seen all year," quipped one commenter.
"That showed you to respect wildlife in their territory," noted another user. "He got you good. Nice flat [tire]."
"Good luck getting out to change the tire now," joked a third.
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