Officials have been warning visitors not to get close to the animals.

  • Action Bastard@lemmy.world@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Swear this happens every year. Someone either gets gored by a bison or tries to go swimming in a geothermal pool and gets boiled alive and then dissolved.

    Some people just do not grasp the concept of National Parks. They’re not zoos or amusement parks. The things in here can and will kill you and there is almost nothing in the way stopping you from committing suicide in a horribly painful fashion.

    • Cubes
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      1 year ago

      This does happen fairly often at Yellowstone, so it’s not widely reported when it does. It actually happened very close to me when I was there last year because a bison was laying very near a popular walkway near old faithful, but people still didn’t stop walking by it 🙃

    • mr_robot@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I visited Yellowstone last year. The National Parks Service has an excellent walkway system which allows visitors to get an close-up view of the hot springs. All along the walkways are signs that say something along the lines of: “Step off this walkway and you will be boiled alive.”

      The sheer number of people visiting these areas on an average day, and the quality of workmanship put into the park walkways projects a false sense of security. A few times I had to remind myself that I was standing above something that could kill me. Imagine being in a crowd of people seeing and experiencing something beautiful. Nobody there is unhappy, everyone is strolling along taking pictures and enjoying spectacular views of the hot springs. But in reality, it is a bunch of people standing on heat-resistant walkways above boiling lakes of death.

      These warning signs are placed every few feet, but I can completely understand how idiots and children would ignore them and get themselves killed. Some walkways have railings, others don’t. Yellowstone is one of the most beautiful places on earth. The possibility of getting killed is not something actively going through your mind while you experience it.

      Also, people taking photos of bison are incredibly cavalier about distance and safety. It makes sense that attacks and deaths are common enough not to make headlines.

    • Fredselfish@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Been to Yellowstone many times. People don’t understand that the Bison look friendly almost looks as if you could pet them.

      But they are aggressive and will kill you stay the fuck away.

      Yet this does happen every year.

  • PatFusty
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    1 year ago

    “Officials said the two visitors turned around and tried to walk away”

    Yeah I kinda doubt that.

    • AttackBunny@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      Yeah, I’m going to have to agree with you there. The likelihood of it being a complete freak occurrence is slim to none. Call me a pessimist.

      The end of the article does say its mating season though, so there may have been other factors at play. Animals tend to be pretty high strung, for lack of a better term, during mating season.

  • Tygr@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    You couldn’t pay me to be a ranger there. I’ve been to Yellowstone 10 times and every single time there’s always a bunch of people crowding around wild animals. I’m honestly surprised this doesn’t happen weekly.

  • Fantomas@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Wild animals are not Instagram opportunities. They will and do kill and hurt people. Especially fat, stupid people.

  • SharkEatingBreakfast@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    Some people legitimately have no idea how to act around wild animals because the only animals they’ve ever interacted with are pets or non-lethal “pest” animals (seagulls, pigeons, etc.). Those unfamiliar may often see parks as a petting zoo photo op.

    Hell, the last time I posted on Facebook was to warn the neighborhood that there was a dodgy-lookin’ raccoon out in the middle of the day and to tell their kids walking home from school not to approach it.

    The amount of replies telling me to feed it, approach it, pet it, (or discharge a firearm in a residential area) were staggering. Grown adults. So I am not surprised that folks make bad decisions around wildlife.

  • 567PrimeMover@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    This reminds me of a video a few years ago where a mom was trying to take a picture with her kid and a bison. The kid looked super nervious, but mom kept pushing the kid to get closer. There’s gotta be so many close calls like that where people don’t realize that national parks are not zoos, and the animals will absolutely fuck you up. Hell, animals in zoos will fuck you up too, that’s why they tell you to stay away from the fence.

    • mrnotoriousman@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      From the article:

      Last month, the NPS put out warnings following a string of human encounters with Yellowstone wildlife that were going viral on social media.
      In one video posted in May, a woman was seen getting close to a bison and taking a selfie, which park officials said was dangerous given the animal’s unpredictable movements and actions. The agency noted that bison can run three times faster than humans.

      Taking a selfie with a bison is one of the dumbest things a person can ever do lol.

  • Hazdaz@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Didn’t the last time this happen, they have to killed the bison?

    Feel bad for the bison, not the dumb twat who was probably asking for it.

  • rab@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    A lot of people should really just stay in their city. I swear that stuff like this is just getting more frequent

    • buttsbuttsbutts@lemmynsfw.com
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      1 year ago

      I know what you mean, but I’d lay a dollar that these people aren’t from the city. More likely suburbs, exurbs, small town, etc.

      People who live in cities tend to understand danger and avoid it. If somebody is like, “that street gets dangerous past X block, and you’re likely to get mugged or worse” you don’t go there. Same principle as a wild animal.