How Not to To Photograph a Wild Bison

A couple of weeks ago, we shared the sad story of how one hiker was killed after venturing within 50 yards of a grizzly bear to snap photographs. One of the biggest rules for photographing wildlife is to make sure you’re a safe distance from the wild animals. This distance varies depending on the animal you’re photographing. For grizzly bears, you’re supposed to stay at least a quarter of a mile away.

We’re not sure what the safe distance is for wild bison, but one thing we do know: it’s way farther than what we see in the video above. In it, a tourist family visiting Yellowstone National Park come across a bison standing next to the trail they’re on. Instead of finding a safe way around, the people somehow come to the conclusion that walking straight up to the horned animal with outstretched cameras is a good idea. They quickly learn what a bad idea it is. Luckily, no one gets hurt and everyone ends up having a chuckle, but it’s startling to see how much our culture of online photo sharing has eroded common sense in some people.

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Update: Apparently the safe distance for photographing bison is 25 yards. Also, see if you can spot the guy in the background shooting away with his iPad.