Photographer Catches Tourist Letting Toddler Stand Inches from Bison at Yellowstone Park
A photographer captured shocking footage of a tourist allowing a toddler to stand dangerously close to a full-grown bison at Yellowstone Park. The viral video comes as visitors continue to ignore warnings to keep a safe distance from wildlife.
Jennifer Gunderson, a retired professional photographer from North Ohio, filmed the incident on June 2 in Yellowstone Park while taking wildlife and landscape shots.
Gunderson, who shot weddings and portraits for over 40 years, was visiting Yellowstone Park with her husband Rob, who is also a photographer, for their 20th anniversary vacation. The pair had researched safe distances from larger wildlife in preparation for their trip, but never expected to witness firsthand the kind of reckless behavior often displayed by visitors — popularly known as Tourons — in national parks who ignore safety guidelines and approach dangerous animals like bison, bears, and elk.
“We have watched the Tourons of Yellowstone Instagram account and shook our heads at some of the things posted. Never in our wildest dreams would we witness it in person,” Gunderson, who worked as a food and product photographer later in her career, tells PetaPixel.
At around 12:52 PM that day, Gunderson and her husband heard other visitors shouting in Yellowstone Park. When they looked over, the photographer saw several women with small children completely at ease, getting close to a 2,000-pound bison.
The Gundersons joined in with the other bystanders telling the visitors with their small kids to move back away from the wildlife, but the group ignored the warnings.
“The people next to me were on the phone with Park Services so I decided to start recording in case of an incident and evidence was needed,” Gunderson says. “I was shocked that people would get that close to a wild animal let alone bring small children with them.”
As Gunderson was filming, something even more dangerous happened: a toddler let go of her mother’s hand and ran toward the back of the grazing bison. The woman appeared unfazed and slowly walked over to her tiny child, even though they were already far too close to the animal.
Fortunately, the bison remained undisturbed despite the toddler approaching it. However, Gunderson’s footage highlights the ongoing problem of visitors disregarding safety guidelines around wild animals. Last month, a Florida man was gored by bison in Yellowstone Park after getting too close to the animal. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, a bison gored a 30-year-old man from New Jersey after a large group of visitors got extremely near to it in Yellowstone Park.
Recently, the National Park Service (NPS) issued a warning on social media, repeating the guidelines and imploring visitors to take heed. The NPS asks people to stay at least 25 yards away from bison and to back off if the animal move towards them.
Jennifer Gunderson’s photography can be found on her website and Instagram.
