The internet is sharing footage showing a Yellowstone National Park tourist taunting a bull elk from his vehicle, and the elk popping one of the man’s tires.
“Watch out buddy,” the tourist grumbles through an open window, as he approaches the elk on a highway. “You wanna fight?”
The elk holds its ground but is clearly agitated by the boldness of the intruders (there’s also a woman in the vehicle). “You want go, bud?” The man continues, while inching closer. The elk, not amused, lowers his head and plows his antlers into the man's front tire. You can hear the pop.
Deby Dixon, a photographer who specializes in Yellowstone wildlife, commented: “I see so many park visitors taunting the wildlife with their vehicles, whether following the animals or stopping right next to them,” Dixon wrote on Facebook. “The man driving this car was verbally challenging the bull, not that his words made any difference, it was his actions by stopping the animal’s path. But, the bull gets the last word!”
Dixon added: “I think that most people are just so excited to see wildlife up close that they don’t realize how they might be upsetting or challenging and animal. So, I encourage you to think about how it would feel if someone pulled up next to you, blocked your path and put a camera in your face.”
Photo: Getty Images