Bison are among the top attractions at Yellowstone National Park, but people routinely push their admiration to the limit by getting too close to the wild animals, as a post on Facebook recently documented. These cases of approaching too closely risk dangerous outcomes for the tourists and the bison.

A bystander in Yellowstone recently witnessed one such incident, sharing pictures to warn others.

"What could possibly go wrong?" they wrote in the caption for the images that show multiple people crowding around a bison, jockeying to take photos of the animal.

Bison, like many large herbivores such as moose and elk, appear to be gentle giants, but they are capable of causing serious injury if they feel threatened or scared. According to NPR, citing the National Park Service, bison are responsible for more human injuries than any other animal in Yellowstone, and can run three times faster than the average person. 

With so many people crowded around the bison in the images, the potential was greatly increased that it would lash out, and that would hardly be the first time for such an event. 

A group of tourists was recently charged by a bison, while another person was gored by a bison last year.  When these cases occur, it not only causes harm to the people involved. It can also result in euthanasia for an animal if it's deemed aggressive or an ongoing problem.

The best way to ensure personal safety and the safety of the bison and other wildlife is to maintain a proper distance, about 100 feet for bison, per the National Park Service. It's also important to stick to labeled trails and roads, keep food stored and properly disposed of, and alert park staff if there is a sick or injured animal or if people are harassing an animal in any way.

Commenters on the post called out the overeager photographers for getting too close to the bison.

"When [people] do stupid stuff like this they should be fined then escorted out of the park and not be able to return EVER!" one angry individual wrote. 

Another noted that tourists "are giving the animals a death sentence if there is an attack."

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