Yellowstone National Park is one of the greatest places on the planet to experience pristine nature largely undisturbed by humans. However, one of the few indications of human-interference concerns are the many "DANGER: Do Not Approach Wildlife" signs. Somehow, far too many people seem to miss those.
A recent post from TouronsOfYellowstone (@touronsofyellowstone) on Instagram shows a potentially deadly situation that rightfully had commenters up in arms.
The post is a quick clip of a young boy posing for a picture with a grazing bison mere feet away from him. Fortunately, the picture is taken, and the boy jumps up and happily walks away without being harmed. Things could have gone far differently, though, and they have many times before.
The National Park Service (NPS) highlights the dangers of approaching bison on its website, stating: "Bison have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal. Bison are unpredictable and can run three times faster than humans. Always stay at least 25 yards (23 m) away from bison."
"Approaching bison threatens them, and they may respond by bluff charging, head bobbing, pawing, bellowing, or snorting," the NPS website says. "These are warning signs that you are too close and that a charge is imminent."
The NPS does its best to warn park visitors about the dangers of wild bison. Sometimes, it even incorporates eye-catching humor to get the message across. Somehow, that still doesn't do the trick.
Ignoring these signs or failing to inform yourself before entering the park can have some brutal results. These situations also endanger wildlife, as animals that injure humans, provoked or not, are sometimes euthanized. Not only that, but it can ruin the spectacular experience of visiting a national park for everyone else.
Commenters on the post expressed outrage at the behavior of these tourists.
"The sad part is the animal always pays for the sins of the people encroaching," one said.
Another Instagram user asked: "Why are they so ignorant?"
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Definitely 👍 "After safety considerations and leaving wildlife alone, It also confounds me that people want a photo of their dumb a** in these situations!" another exclaimed.
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