Tourists are clearly warned not to get close to bison in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.
But sometimes the bison put on a show that attracts visitors, and tempts them to overstep their welcome.
On August 8, and caught on video, two bison started fighting, locking horns in the middle of a road used by park vehicles.
Two elderly park visitors exited their car and got too close to the brawlers, hoping to film them with their phones.
People in other cars shouted at the two, warning them to back up or they could be hurt.
Comments can be heard on a video caught by Cindy Shaffer, who frequently photographs animal life in the park, while the fight was going on.
She captioned her video on social media, “What not to do in Yellowstone!”
“Oh here comes a referee,” one man said, referring to a vehicle of park rangers responding to the scene.
“Look at the fur on the road,” said another woman in the video, pointing out the shedded bison fur resulting from the altercation.
Sounds like a funny scene, but bison are considered to be very unpredictable, and several people have been injured in Yellowstone Park, according to park officials.
About 2,300 to 5,500 bison roam the park.
Twenty-five people, including four employees, were injured by bison in the park during the period 2000-2015. The victims were between the ages of seven and 68. The majority of the people injured had approached the bison and gotten too close.
Almost half of the victims were charged by the animals when they tried to take photos or videos of them. A bison can weigh up to a ton and can run up to 40 mph, so that’s definitely an animal you want to stay away from.
Park regulations do require that visitors stay away from the animals. They are advised to keep back at least 25 yards from bison.
But unless you have a good telephoto lens, that’s not the best position to be talking close-ups from.
In May 2022, a 25-year-old woman was gored by a bison while she was standing about 10 feet away from the beast. She died from a puncture wound and other injuries.
In June of 2022, a 34-year-old man was gored by a bison while he was visiting near Yellowstone’s Old Faithful geyser. He managed to survive with injuries to his arm.
Yellowstone Park had record-breaking flooding that caused the park to be closed for a while, but it has recently been reopened, after the floodwaters receded. People have been warned that the flooding may have displaced animals and they should be extra careful about not crossing their paths.