Tourist at National Park Gets Dangerously Close to Bison to Take Pictures
It goes without saying that the majority of our population knows that it's not a smart move to get close to wildlife that outweighs you by hundreds of pounds, but that's exactly what a tourist in Bridal Veil Falls National Park did recently. A herd of bison stopped traffic in both directions, leaving tourists waiting for the herd to move before they could continue on. One tourist thought it would be a good idea to get out and record the herd on his iPad, and others were shocked by his brazenness.
AccuWeather shared the video, recorded by another visitor from his car, on Friday, August 2nd. The 44-second-long video shows a white-haired gentleman walking towards the herd with his iPad up. He stays for more than 40 seconds before turning around and heading back to his vehicle.
AccuWeather said in their caption that the person who recorded the video told them, "I want people to be aware that our national parks aren't petting zoos." This man was clearly old enough to know better. He not only put himself at risk, but other travelers as well because if the herd would've decided to run through the traffic jam, they could've injured many people.
Commenters agreed. One person said simply, "No wisdom with age." @FreddieMelena pointed out, "They have their calves with them! Not a good plan!" Another commenter said, "When people do this kind of thing, I don’t feel bad for them at all if they get hurt." and @Wes added, "It's actually cheaper just to get a nice camera with a telephoto lens than pay for that hospital bill." Many referred to the man as a 'touron', a derogatory term that combine the words tourist and moron. A touron is a person on vacation that 'commits acts of pure stupidity.' I think that's pretty accurate in this case!
Related: Tourist's Terrifying Encounter with a Bison at Yellowstone Caught on Video
More About Bison in Our National Parks
The National Park Service warns the public to stay at least 25 yards away from bison because of their unpredictable nature. They also say that visitors must stay in their vehicles if they encounter a wildlife jam for their safety and the safety of the animals.
The Cool Down reported, "Research shows that bison injure more people than any other animal at Yellowstone," according to ScienceDirect. Getting out to take photos is the most common reason people approach bison, and they're getting closer to the wild animals than ever before to get the perfect shot. Common bison-related injuries include deep puncture wounds, blunt trauma, fractures, contusions, abrasions, and even death." That's not surprising since female bison weigh about 1,000 pounds and males can weigh up to 2,000.
Not only that, but when these animals attack, they are often euthanized for the safety of visitors. This man's utter disregard for safety could've ended with an innocent animal being killed because of his selfish need for close up pictures. The only other thing that I can say about this incident is that if you're visiting a national park, please don't be this guy.
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