Please note: this is a rant about people who repeatedly ignore warnings about the dangers of approaching wild animals in places like Yellowstone Park. If you are smart enough to not do this, please feel free to ignore the below. If you don't see the harm in walking up to a bison or moose or bear, read on.
Apparently, the regular news reports of people who experience near-death (or worse) encounters with wild animals in places like Yellowstone National Park and other locales have fallen on deaf ears and blind eyes. Apparently the detailed warnings provided EVERY person who enters Yellowstone about the great dangers of approaching wild animals in the park are ignored. Apparently, these people have confused a national park with a petting zoo. Needless to say, I have a major pet peeve with the morons who ignore common sense and every possible effort to keep them from approaching animals like bison, moose, elk, and even bears - all highly unpredictable and dangerous.
In this thankfully brief video, a bunch of idiots get within 10 feet of a bison, who then charges out of fear and tosses a 9-year-old girl in the air. She was taken to a hospital and released. I am grateful that she wasn't injured, which could have easily happened. Even viewing such animals as bison from inside a vehicle is no guarantee of your safety. As someone who spent several years living around Yellowstone, take heed. I hope you get a chance to visit this incredible place, full of untouched land, wonderful natural waterfalls, amazing geysers and other thermal features, not to mention an abundant number of animals living in a largely untouched environment. What's important to remember about national parks like Yellowstone is that these are real habitats of these animals who the park tries very hard to keep away from the public so they can stay in their pristine state. As visitors, please respect these animal's right to exist without being treated as an Instagram post. Always keep a safe distance from all animals, and always remain in your vehicle when animals are nearby.