In an intense clip shared online, tourists witness an aggressive bison stampede after coming far too close in Yellowstone National Park.
Some tourists will never learn. Bison are enormous, incredibly powerful wild animals. They aren’t tame – especially in Yellowstone National Park where they roam free. Once almost entirely decimated by overhunting, these majestic megafauna have rebuilt massive populations in the famous park.
One tourist, in particular, however, is showing just how dangerous a bison stampede can be.
In a chance event, park visitor Lisa Stewart tells USA TODAY she saw a group of tourists “nearing the bison”. This was, of course, after the herd already seemed upset by something. These tourists, we’re sure.
“The people saw them and started walking closer and closer toward the bison,” Stewart says. “[The bison] kept getting more agitated by the minute. They walked farther down. Out of my sight, but I could still hear them grunting and blowing.”
Stewart then pulls out her phone to record. But she notes her video wasn’t even able to capture the sheer amount of … non-intelligent individuals… who were approaching the herd.
“You only see about four-to-six people on the video, but there were more in the same spot the bison come running from,” Stewart recalls. “The fishermen grabbed their stuff and ran, and then you see the bison running, and I felt relief the people didn’t get trampled.”
Click here to watch the video in full.
Bison Herd Stampedes Toward Yellowstone Tourists
As a result, the half-minute clip shows the massive bison stampede crossing the Yellowstone River. The tourists – now sufficiently terrified – try to run out of the way during the “first wave” of bison. A second set, however, turns into frame and begins charging the moron-er-group.
Thankfully for the tourists, though, no one was harmed.
“I could feel the earth rumbling under my feet when it was happening,” Stewart tells USA TODAY’s For The Win Outdoors.
Stewart finds it amazing that the group “didn’t heed the warning of grunting, snorting and stomping feet”.
Yellowstone: Stay 25 Yards From Bison at All Times
To caution visitors against being gored, Yellowstone requires guests to stay 25 yards – or 75 feet – from bison at all times.
“Bison have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal,” the National Park Service notes on their website. They are much faster than humans. Any smaller distance than this puts people in mortal peril.
Many tourists and wildlife experts are calling for Yellowstone to enact penalties for visitors not abiding by this rule. Recent events – including a motorbike gang seen harassing a bison herd – are cause for great concern.
[H/T Fox News]
