Yellowstone Visitor Says Approaching Bison Was “One of the Dumbest Things I’ve Ever Done”
on Jan 12, 2022
YouTuber, Jason Quick, recently shared a video on his channel that he took of a bison at Yellowstone National Park and says what he did in the video was one of the dumbest things he’s ever done.
“Do. Not. Get this close to a Bison. Ever,” he wrote on YouTube. “This is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever done, and that’s saying a lot.”
The video showed him walking with a group of people down a road somewhere in Yellowstone Park and he was headed towards a bison that was also walking on the road about 150 feet in front of them.
Cars were driving down the road as well, passing the people and the bison.
Jason, who was so lit up with excitement and adrenaline, decided to jog towards the massive beast, along with another woman, in an attempt to get some close-up footage of the wild animal.
He ran all the way up to the bison, about 20 feet away, and it did not like it. The bison visibly got uncomfortable with Jason coming towards it so quickly, so it turned around to face him head-on.
Jason stopped beside a vehicle that had stopped on the road only a few feet away from the bison and told them they could get out of the safety of their vehicle to view the animal with him.
They appeared to deny the offer, but Jason was set on getting closer and started quickly moving towards the animal and a jogging pace.
He jogged all the way up to about eight feet away before it turned its head around towards him and lifted its tail high in the air, displaying that it was feeling threatened and willing to defend itself if Jason was to get any closer.
At this point, Jason knew he had messed up and was making a very bad decision and stopped, held up his hand, and began saying “Ok, ok, ok, ok, alright, alright,” as he backed away from the vigilant animal.
The bison could have easily charged at him and stomped him into the ground. There was nothing for Jason to hide behind either now and bison can run way faster than any human.
Fortunately, Jason’s life was spared because the bison decided to not pursue him since he was backing down. Instead, the bison turned around to continue its journey down the road.
Yellowstone National Park has several signs and wildlife officers informing people of the dangers of getting too close to wildlife. Park guidelines specifically tell people how to keep a safe distance.
According to Newsweek, a spokesperson for the park said, “Give the animals space and never approach wildlife. The animals in Yellowstone are wild and unpredictable, no matter how calm they appear to be. The safest (and often best) view of wildlife is from inside a car. Always stay at least 100 yards (91 m) away from bears and wolves, and at least 25 yards (23 m) away from all other animals, including bison and elk.”
