A group of tourists in Yellowstone National Park doubled down on their risky behavior to get close to a wild bison.
In the r/Yellowstone subreddit, a user shared a photo of three people photographing two bison with only a narrow creek between them.
“Bison, like any other animal inside Yellowstone, should be given plenty of space. This means at least 25 yards or 75 feet. If a bison approaches you, you should back away,” they wrote.
Bison may seem like big, fluffy cows, but the National Park Service reports that they have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal. They can run three times faster than humans and can feel threatened when approached, leading to dangerous encounters. Too much human interaction is also bad for bison. They can get injured or killed by vehicles when they cross roads or become too used to human food, which is detrimental to their health.
The poster in the subreddit added that the tourists also walked “through one of Yellowstone’s sensitive thermal features” to get there.
The park has over 10,000 thermal features, including geysers, hot springs, mudpots, and steam vents. These all pose dangers to humans and have even caused the deaths of 20 people who have entered or fallen in. The park advises guests to stick to trails and boardwalks and be alert for toxic gasses that can cause dizziness and other issues.
People in the comments were frustrated with the tourists’ unnecessarily risky behavior.
Many pointed out that bison are plentiful in the park and there’s no need to traipse through off-trail areas to see them. “Drive five more minutes and they’ll be bison walking in front of the car,” one person said.
Another was irritated by the park’s seeming lack of enforcement of safety rules, writing: “They know they won’t get a ticket. Then when someone gets hurt. The animal suffers the consequences!”
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Others were frustrated that such bad behavior can impact others’ ability to enjoy nature. “These people ruin the experience for everybody else. Unfortunately not everyone has common sense,” a commenter added.
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