Humans are known for making mistakes. However, sometimes we see people do things so ridiculous that it defies all reasonable logic. This was the case at Yellowstone National Park, as this viral video of a tourist shows.
When you first drive through the gates of the national park, you're greeted by rangers who warn you to stay far away from the wildlife—especially the bison who meander the park in droves. You'd think these animals' sheer size would be a deterrent, but every year brings multiple reports of people being severely injured or killed by bison, plus plenty more who put themselves in dangerous positions that could have very well led to their deaths.
The tourist in this video lucked out. It opens with the man, camera slung around his neck, tentatively approaching a bison grazing alongside a narrow path. Not only does he get too close, he sneaks up on the animal from behind where it can't see him. You can guess what happens next when the animal detects his personal space being invaded.
The tourist was lucky to get off with a warning. He could have been seriously injured or even killed with one hook from those big horns and a stomp from the hooves.
It's not that the National Park Service doesn't try its best. In addition to verbal instructions to stay away from the animals, park rangers hand out a printed pamphlet pointedly explaining the dangers, with visual diagrams on safe viewing distances. Sadly, it doesn't seem to matter. For far too many people, common sense goes right out the window the second they see wildlife. People seem to think Yellowstone is one giant zoo when in fact it's a large, dangerous ecosystem filled with creatures that can injure or kill a human without a second thought.
To make it all crystal clear: The NPS asks visitors to stay 25 yards away from large herbivores like bison, elk, deer, moose, and sheep, and 100 yards from predators like bears and wolves. Please heed this advice if you're heading to Yellowstone (or any other national park). We don't want to see anyone become another tally on the bison's yearly count of gored tourists.
