‘People really have to keep their distance’

A stunned park visitor snapped a photo of a tourist getting dangerously close to a wild moose.

In the image, the visitor stands a few meters away from the animal and poses for a selfie.

Although the moose seemingly appeared calm during the interaction, it could have gotten up at any moment and attacked the tourist.

The term touron – a combination of the words tourist and idiot – has become a popular expression to describe tourists who tempt fate and act recklessly with wildlife.

Redditors discussed the danger of the situation and why this kind of behavior is disrespectful to wild animals.

“Yes, it’s dangerous. Lots of people do this in Estes Park and every year someone picks the wrong moose at the wrong time and pays for it,” one user replied.

“Estes is similar to Yellowstone in that it’s a place where people go who want to experience nature, but have no idea what nature is,” wrote another Redditor.

“People get absolutely devastated doing this kind of thing a few times a year in Colorado,” said one user.

Across the US, park rangers enforce wildlife guidelines to keep both visitors and animals safe. In similar situations, tourists have been less fortunate and seriously injured after approaching wild animals for a photo.

Ignoring safety guidelines also endangers the animals. When visitors approach wild animals, they invade the animal’s natural habitat and overwhelm them.

Spreading awareness is essential to ensure that park visitors understand how to safely view and appreciate wildlife from a distance. Interactions with wildlife should always respect nature and lead to a better understanding of the environment.

“This is not a good idea. One of those moose might suddenly decide to attack you,” one user wrote.

“People really need to keep their distance and leave nature alone,” said another Redditor.

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