Part of the fun of going to wildlife reserves is not just seeing nature in all its glory, but having the chance to encounter animals in their natural habitat - free (mostly) of human interference or the confined spaces of zoos. That way you can get to see some of the fine flora and fauna of this Earth, without feeling bad about negatively affecting their lives in any way.
However, there are some people out there who push the boundaries. National parks tend to have rules in place, but they're hard to enforce if a random tourist wants to get as close as possible to the action. For instance, in Yellowstone National Park, there are clear guidelines on how near you are allowed to get to certain creatures, but not everyone follows their advice.
Just last year, there were two incidents of bisons attacking visitors to the park. In May, one woman was walking around the bend of a trail when she was hit by a bison she hadn't seen, getting away with minor injuries. The following month, another woman was gored by a bull bison when she got within ten yards of it - while the suggested safe distance is considered to be around 25 yards, or 7t feet, for this particular animal.
"Animals in Yellowstone are wild and unpredictable, no matter how calm they appear to be," the park's guidelines state. "Give animals space when they're near trails, boardwalks, parking lots, or in developed areas. If you can't maintain these distances, turn around and find an alternate route."
Well, not everyone is so keen to follow these rules. In fact, in this case, the problem was less that someone got close to a bison, but that they actively taunted the aggravated animal. One man got up close to stare down a bison in the middle of a road, surrounded by traffic. The creature was mostly disinterested, but was quickly angered once the man pounded his chest and approached it.
Lindsey Jones was driving through the park with her family when she saw the cars slow to a stop on this road, as a bison wandered through the area. When she saw the man get out of his car to taunt the bison, she used her phone to film the ridiculous act. Jones posted the clip on Facebook, where it has since been viewed more than a million times.
The bison charges him, but this isn't enough to get the man to back down, as he gets back to taunting the bison once more. As it began its second charge, you can hear Jones exclaim, "Oh god, I can't watch anymore!"
Another person in the car can be heard shouting at the man to "Get out of there!" Eventually the bison, luckily for the man, loses interest and turns away from him. If things had ended up any differently, he only would've had himself to blame.
