Summer is a great time to go outside, travel, and explore our wonderful public lands and National Parks. However, without fail, every season there are tourists who have close encounters with wildlife, frequently leading to serious injury or death.
Image from The Washington Post, 29 June 2022 (George Frey/Getty Images). Article linked in photo.
Footage on 10 July 2022 at Yellowstone park. Article linked in photo.
There have been numerous accounts of people getting too close to wildlife (briefly: here, here, here, here, here, and here). Bison have gored tourists and charged unaware hikers, bears have attacked in campgrounds, an elephant overturned a car with tourists inside, and safari wildlife lashed out at tourists who were too close. In one instance, someone tried to pet a lion. In another report, tourists were killed after exiting their cars in a safari park with wild, roaming tigers. In another instance, tourists were trampled to death by elephants after getting too close to take photos. There is no shortage of articles documenting tourist attacks by wild animals.
It might seem obvious to not approach wildlife, but, when people see a magnificent creature, common sense seemingly dissipates and is replaced with the urge to take a photograph or have an up close encounter with the animal.
This is your reminder:
Wildlife are wild
These are not domestic pets. Animals in the wild have evolved to survive, hunt, graze, and reproduce in the wilderness. To predators, you are prey. To herbivores, you are a threat. We have cultivated a world where we don't experience the dangers that all other animals do because we are on top of the food chain, and, from the comfort of our living room, we watch the rest of the animal kingdom survive in a literal dog-eat-dog world, thanks to Planet Earth. This has caused a disconnect between our two realities, making people forget that we are vulnerable and don't have any natural defense mechanisms. Your decision to go to areas where wild animals roam is yours, and you must take that decision seriously. Even at a zoo, in caged conditions that separate tourist from animal, wildlife rebels and attacks, but whether or not animals should be put in cages/tanks to be ogled at is a tangential discussion.
Animals may feel threatened
There are a number of reasons why animals may be threatened by you:
They might feel you will cause them harm
They are protective over their food sources
They are protective over their offspring
It is mating season, and some animals may be more aggressive
They are territorial
They are just unpredictable
The point is, you don't know what a wild animal might be feeling on any given day. Steer clear and keep enough distance. Your photograph for social media is not worth it.
Do not feed wildlife, ever
Do not intentionally feed wildlife because they should never rely on human handouts; it is not a zoo, and this will only hurt the animals if they are not hunting and foraging for themselves. Improperly storing food (like poorly hung bear bags or leaving food out in the open) can also lead to wildlife becoming confident and familiar around human spaces. In the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, a bear had to be euthanized after attacking a mother and daughter in a campsite. The bear reportedly weighed more than it should for that time of year, suggesting it was being fed unnaturally. Unfortunately, this is not a rare occurrence. You don't want your mistake (or blatant ignorance) to be the death/injury of someone else or the euthanization of an animal.
Allow wildlife to be wild, and prevent them from being euthanized. Do not feed them.
R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
Respect not only the wildlife but the rules of the park/public lands you are visiting. Otherwise, use common sense. There are recommended distances to stay away from certain animals, and this varies by park. Most places require a minimum of 25 yards from most animals and 100 yards (the length of a football field) from predators, like wolves and bears. You do not want to put yourself, friends, or family at risk of an animal attack, and you should not cause stress to the animals either. Check out this National Park Service article to learn how to safely interact with wildlife.
And remember:
The place you are visiting is a home to someone else.
Don't be a lousy guest.
Other Attacks
Wildlife attacking humans goes beyond unaware tourists, however.
People happen upon wildlife by accident, and human encroachment into forests also prompts wildlife to react. The truth is, we are destroying their habitat and giving them nowhere else to go. In Odisha, India, elephant attacks are becoming more common: in an article from Nature World News, there have been 589 elephant attacks from 2014-2020. Unfortunately, this will keep happening as the human population continues to grow and natural spaces become increasingly smaller.
It is vital that we protect and preserve wilderness areas. If you visit, show respect for the land and all the animals living in it. If you need some advice on ways you can actively be a good tourist, then check this out.
Stay safe out there!
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