Every year, Yellowstone National Park welcomes millions of visitors. And every year, some of them reach a new low that the Instagram account TouronsOfYellowstone (@touronsofyellowstone) never misses.
"I was up in the Lamar Valley photographing wolves," said wildlife photographer Derek Nielsen (@dereknielsenphotography), whose comments and photos were shared on the TouronsOfYellowstone account. "I spotted a gorgeous black wolf making his way up the valley. I also spotted this fool who decided to take his shirt off and chase the wolf up the hill."
Some tourists have a hard time respecting boundaries with wild animals. Despite strict rules being enforced in U.S. national parks, some risk venturing too close to elk, bears, and bison for a picture, a gentle touch, or simply the thrill of danger.
"Don't be an idiot like this guy," Nielsen said. "Report these kind of people to the wildlife management team. Please don't harass the wildlife. They have enough to deal with from humans."
To avoid that type of behavior, it is essential to know the risks stemming from increased interactions between humans and wildlife. For you, it's to get hurt. For them, it's to suffer from health issues and, in the worst-case scenario, be put down.
As the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) reminds us, some animals may even be rejected by their parents once they have had some contact with misguided tourists, which ultimately makes them more vulnerable to predators.
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Meanwhile, diseases also go both ways, the NPS adds. If we tend to talk more about zoonotic diseases, which are transmitted from animals to humans, humans can also spread the flu to animals, while domestic pets can spread heartworm.
What the original poster shared sparked outrage, to say the least.
"This is upsetting. This is some of the worst reckless behavior from a tourist I've ever seen," one Instagram user said.
"What was the purpose of any of this?" another person commented. "In what world are you accomplishing anything?"
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Definitely 👍 "Looks to me like he wants to be a snack," a third added.
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