Laurie Baratti | (TNS) TravelPulse Encounters between humans and wildlife are becoming increasingly common, particularly in U.S. national parks, where visitor numbers continue to rise.
Yellowstone, for instance, saw more than 4.5 million visitors last year alone, according to The Washington Post. The National Park Service’s (NPS) guidance dictates that people should stay at least 25 to 100 yards away from wild animals, with the exact distance dependent on the species.
Of course, not everyone follows the NPS’ sage advice. Social media is full of examples of tourists getting dangerously close to wildlife, often in pursuit of the perfect selfie. While they frequently emerge unscathed, individual “tourons” (a mashup of “tourist” and “moron”) sometimes suffer the consequences.
In June, an 83-year-old woman was gored by a bison, while a child was attacked by a black bear near Montana’s Custer National Forest just last week. More than a year back, a Yellowstone visitor with good intentions tried to help a newborn bison, causing the herd to reject the baby, which then had to be euthanized. “Not respecting their space could result in harm to us and their potential death,” said Chamois Anderson, a senior representative for the Rockies and Plains program with nonprofit organization Defenders of Wildlife.
“We need to abide by the rules of the park, because the wildlife could be potentially harmful to humans,” she said, adding, “You just never know when they’.
