A Yellowstone National Park goer captured a small crowd of park visitors brazenly slipping off a trail to hover mere feet from a herd of elk, including powerful bull males and vulnerable calves.

The onlooker shared the photos in a post to the Yellowstone National Park: Invasion of the Idiots group on Facebook. The photos show people standing between the massive animals and their young, phones aimed for the perfect shot, utterly oblivious to the risks.

"People are really stupid," one commenter said.

"Hey look, there's a herd of elk. Let's get really close and stand in between the bull and its babies and its females … Great idea!" the caption quipped.

Yellowstone's elk rut, the fall mating season, makes bulls especially unpredictable and aggressive. Park officials explicitly warn visitors to maintain at least 25 yards from elk at all times.

Yellowstone National Park has long struggled with guests' fascination with wildlife photo-ops, ignoring basic safety. Social media accounts and news reports alike document repeated incidents in which visitors ignore signs, crowd around grazing elk, or step out of cars to get "closer" to the animals.

"I guess they think these wild animals in the park are part of a petting zoo," another user wrote. "They just seem to have no respect for any of it."

This kind of ignorance puts people at risk, and it also endangers the animals they're admiring. Wild animals that harm humans, whether provoked or not, are sometimes euthanized afterward, because they've been deemed a continued threat.

Stories from Yellowstone include bison and elk being euthanized after repeated dangerous interactions with people, including a young bison calf.

Yellowstone and other parks ask visitors to never approach or feed wildlife, and to use binoculars or camera zoom lenses when trying to get a closer look at animals. Remember to check the rules before visiting the park, because you're a guest in that ecosystem. Enjoy the wonder of the wild creatures, but keep your distance: That respect protects both us and the wildlife that makes this place extraordinary.

What's the most you'd pay per month to put solar panels on your roof if there was no down payment? $200 or more 💰 $100 💸 $30 💵 I'd only do it if someone else paid for it 😎 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips to save more, waste less, and make smarter choices — and earn up to $5,000 toward clean upgrades in TCD's exclusive Rewards Club.