A vacation should be a break from work, not a break from complying with common-sense rules. That lesson definitely seems to be lost on many tourists when witnessing wildlife.

A video, originally captured by Instagrammer Tricia Dorian (@frizzlered) and shared on the Tourons of National Parks Instagram account (@touronsofnationalparks), shows an egregious example.

Dorian criticizes a group of tourists in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada, for getting far too close to a wild elk for a photo. The video shows four tourists going in for a photo op, as Dorian narrates from a safe distance.

"They are literally about five feet away from that elk," Dorian states before scolding the group. Luckily for the group, the elk seems far more interested in getting some lunch than inflicting damage on them for invading its personal space.

If it had, the group would've quickly learned a harsh lesson. Elk are capable of running up to 40 miles per hour, and they're equipped with long, heavy antlers. They're also unpredictable wild animals, as Jasper National Park notes.

That's why the park recommends staying 100 feet away from them, backing away if you see them, and never approaching them, even if they appear tame. Many other tourists make the same mistake with elk and want to get in all the selfies and close-range pictures they can.

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These interactions can go poorly with elk taking exception to the intrusion and putting their antlers to good use. It's also bad for the animals involved, as it can lead to potential euthanization, even if the wildlife are merely protecting their space or accepting food from humans.

The best move is to let the wild animals be wild and tap into the zoom functions on your cell phones instead of skirting the rules. Despite the potential for danger in this case, the group left without incident.

Their action still bothered commenters on Instagram, who agreed with Dorian's critiques.

"People that do this need to be banned from the park!" one suggested.

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Another viewer asked, "Why can't we just leave the animals alone? Must every little thing be a photo op?"

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