Woman Slammed for Taking Selfie With Wild Bison, Endangering Animal’s Life
Published June 2 2023, 8:33 p.m. ET
It was May 28, 2016 at the Cincinnati Zoo. A 3-year-old child fell into the gorilla enclosure where a male great ape by the name of Harambe resided. It's a day that will go down in infamy and memes forever, after Harambe was shot and killed in order to prevent any harm that could've possibly been done to the child].
There are numerous reasons as to why folks are urged from approaching animals at zoos and parks: mainly for the safety of the zoo/park guests, but also for the safety of the animals themselves.
And while a lot of people will never, ever forget what happened to our hairy prince who was taken away from us far too soon, it would seem that one selfie-happy woman didn't remember what happened to the crown jewel of Cincinnati's Zoo.
ABC 7 New York reported that a woman who visited Yellowstone National park thought it would be a good idea to pose next to a bison who was just chilling on the grass.
According to the outlet, she was repeatedly told not to approach the animal for a picture, but did so anyway: "Experts say the woman could easily have been gored. And the animal would then have to be euthanized, through no fault of its own."
Park officials tell guests to stand a minimum of 25 yards away from the animals, and the Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute pens that these herbivorous, nomadic animals can be aggressive towards human beings.
The museum writes on its website: "Bison are tough, confident animals that will often react aggressively when they sense danger. Many human activities can seem threatening to bison, so it’s always important to keep plenty of distance."
What's more is that this isn't the first time a guest at Yellowstone has attempted to take a selfie with one of the creatures. Unlike the woman in the aforementioned video, however, another guest in 2015 who tried snapping a picture with one of the beasts ended up getting gored for their efforts.
The Washington Post reported that "Bison selfies are a bad idea" and that a "tourist [was] gored" after their photo opportunity went "awry."
The Guardian also wrote about bison attacks against Yellowstone tourists in 2015, writing that a 62-year-old Australian man was flung in the air after a group of people gathered around the animal, presumably to take photographs much like the man was attempting to do.
A 16-year-old Taiwanese girl also thought it would be a good idea to pose next to a bison for a photograph, something that the animal seemingly did not appreciate.
While her back was turned away from the creature it decided to get up and gore her: "The girl turned her back to the bison to have her picture taken when the bison lifted its head, took a couple of steps and gored her."
The teenager, who was an exchange student, just like the Australian man, was air-lifted for medical treatment. The Guardian wrote that a park official said: "Visitors are reminded that Yellowstone wildlife is wild … and should not be approached, no matter how tame or calm they appear."
The latest woman receiving media attention and viral infamy for her Bison selfie was slammed on TikTok for her decision to strike a pose next to the bison for a photograph.
One commenter wrote: "she's so lucky that Bison was Chill AF. wow."
Someone else said, "And then the poor bison would have to be euthanized if it hurt these people?!! That’s not ok"
Another person said that they're afraid to take photos of the animals even with a fence between them: "i live across a Bison reserve place with a fence and even scare to cross the street to take pics lol"
Someone else remarked that they've heard of instances of people hopping fences just to take pictures with the large creatures: "There used to be a place in AZ called Bison Ranch. The bison were in in a gated pin but ppl would jump the pen or get too close"
Imagine getting gored by one of those.
