Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/yellowstone-tourons-bison-selfies/

Bison are a main attraction at Yellowstone National Park but have injured more people than any other animal in the park, due mostly to people not following the rules.

The massive furry animals are WILD and do not appreciate people invading their space. They can and will gore, chase, and attack when they feel threatened.

The park wants visitors to observe these magnificent creatures from at least 25 yards away. However, every season countless people choose to break this rule. A frequent visitor to Yellowstone started an Instagram page called “TouronsOfYellowstone” (Tourist + Moron = Touron!!) and shares photos of tourons breaking the rules and endangering themselves and the animals.

There have been several close encounters with bison already this year like the woman who thought to reach out her hand to pet an adult bison. The short clip was shared on the Instagram page with the caption, “The consequences of a bison selfie attempt! Always be bison aware‼️”

This woman was lucky and managed to get away with just a good scare.

Another man got incredibly close to a young bison for a photo and ignored the distress signals the animal was sending. TouronsOfYellowstone posted, “If that was an older bull he would have most likely been knocked into timbuktu‼️ Even a female bison could kick his arse. Please keep at least 25 yards from these bison, there is absolutely no reason to be this close, do you really need a pic up into bison nostrils⁉️ The tourons license plate was sent over to the park along with this video.”

Yet another woman was filmed taking a selfie and standing dangerously close to a resting bison. Even when other bystanders told her to step back, she continued to pose for photos.

These people were lucky that the bison didn’t decide to charge. However, that is not always the case. Check out the video from last year where a group of visitors got too close, and the bison retaliated.

Check out TouronsOfYellostone to see more people getting too close to wildlife and an example of what not to do when you visit the park. Remember you are a guest, and this is their home.

Yellowstone National Park tells all visitors to “Stay more than 25 yards (23 m) away from all large animals – bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose, and coyotes and at least 100 yards (91 m) away from bears and wolves. If need be, turn around and go the other way to avoid interacting with a wild animal in close proximity.”

Park officials remind people that bison are “unpredictable and can run three times faster than humans.” Learn more ways to stay safe while visiting the park here.

Those who break the rules (tourons) will be fined and possibly injured from their poor decision. The rules are in place to keep the animals and people safe, so be sure to follow them.

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog