Elk can frequently be spotted in residential areas, with most people keeping a safe distance. However, onlookers recently spotted a woman going well beyond the limits of safe distance, sparking outrage.

In a video shared on the Good Bull Outdoors Facebook page, several elk are seen resting in a neighborhood. A bull elk steps toward a woman as she is seen slowly walking away from the animals. An onlooker can be heard yelling at the woman: "He will kill you, and we will not help!"

"Apparently this lady was repeatedly getting close to the elk. Both the elk and the onlookers had enough with the bull getting ready to charge and the onlookers yelling at the lady to back off," the caption explained.

The onlooker yelling about the elk potentially killing the woman may sound harsh, but elk can be incredibly dangerous, especially during rutting (aka mating) season. The National Park Service advises extra caution during that time, as elk — particularly bull elk — can be extra aggressive and unpredictable. 

When in national parks, it's best to stay at least 50 yards away from elk and other wild animals and to back away if approached. Those rules also apply to elk that may end up in residential or urban areas, such as when an elk was recently spotted in a Colorado town walking through stores. 

Other people have taken risks to get too close to wild animals, such as one tourist in Yellowstone National Park who got too close to an elk or the person who got dangerously close to a grizzly bear. These encounters don't just put humans at risk, but the animals as well, as they may be euthanized if they're deemed a threat to overall safety.

People in the comments were just as angry as the onlookers in the video.

"The world is not a freakin' petting zoo!" one person wrote. 

Another commenter noted: "I find it funny that the lady looked back at the elk like he was the bad guy. Like really wild animals are not pets."

"Messing around with elk in the rut is on the list of speedy ways to die," another Facebook user added.

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