A tourist caused outrage online as they risked their safety and that of the wildlife by getting too close.
While many of us love sharing glimpses of our lives online, one tourist took extreme risks to get that perfect Insta shot.
A video posted by the group Tourons of Yellowstone (@touronsofyellowstone) shows a tourist filming dangerously close to a bison as it grazes in an area in Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park. The video was captioned with several hashtags, including #Keep25YardsFromBison and #KnowingTheParkRulesIsYourResponsibility.
Tourons, a tongue-in-cheek term combining tourists and morons, is used to describe people who risk not only their life but the safety of the wildlife by getting too close.
Park rules are in place to ensure that tourists can enjoy the beauty of the natural world without risk to themselves or the wildlife they encounter. Many people choose to visit national parks to experience nature, and observing interactions like these can interrupt or ruin that experience.
Visiting national parks is a great way to see animals in their natural environment, and the money we spend there goes a long way toward preserving our natural resources and protecting wildlife.
Although a single photo or selfie might not appear significant, according to the National Park Service, the national parks receive over 330 million visitors every year, providing lots of opportunities for wildlife to interact with people. Regularly disturbing wildlife can impact their natural behaviors and eating patterns, affecting animal health and even their chance of successfully reproducing.
Human-wildlife interactions are becoming increasingly common in Yellowstone and globally. Witnessing these events unfold can be stressful for wildlife, bystanders, and the park rangers who are often forced to step in when situations get out of hand.
These incidents can also cost wildlife their lives as animals that injure humans may be euthanized, even if the animal was just trying to defend itself or its young.
Fortunately, we do have the technology — such as cameras, smartphones, and binoculars — that can help us view animals safely from a distance.
One person remarked, "Do people know their camera has a zoom feature?"
While another was alarmed by just how close to the bison this person was, commenting, "No, no, no!!! Never, ever get close to the animals in Yellowstone!"
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