A photo of a man taking an up-close selfie with a moose was posted on Facebook by Rocky Mountain National Park with the question, “What is wrong with this picture?” It offered these answers to choose from:
a) the park visitor has illegally approached wildlife
b) the park visitor is in a closed meadow – a meadow that is closed this time of year to protect wildlife!
c) the young bull moose is demonstrating his concern by laying his ears back
d) the park visitor has his back to the moose while taking a selfie – moose are faster than they look
e) all of the above
Obviously, the answer is all of the above.
“All wildlife in Rocky Mountain National Park are wild animals and they should be given respect and space to be … wild,” the park stated on Facebook. “If an animal is reacting to you, you are too close. For moose and bears, keep back at least 120 feet or 36 meters. That’s more than two school bus lengths.”
Commenters on the post did not react kindly to the man’s illegal behavior with one calling for him to be jailed, another asking he be fined for his “stupidity,” and yet another suggesting he be shot with a tranquilizing dart.
A sampling from the more than 1,400 comments:
“People are complete idiots. They believe they are on a Disneyland ride.”
“I’d give a whole lot to see him fined, arrested and banned. State and National Parks need to be protected from unthinking, uncaring individuals.”
“Nature will give you a lesson but when it happens you might not live to talk about it. Is it worth your life not to follow instructions?”
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“People like this drive me nuts, watched a guy do this very same thing with wildlife at Badlands National Park last fall. Would be great if this clown could be tracked down from this photo and fined for this activity.”
“First, he ignored the clear posting that says the ‘meadow is closed’…and he’s putting that moose at risk. If I’d been there, he would not be smiling. Take photos of license plates and call a ranger immediately when this happens. I report people when I see it. I think there is cell service at this location.”
“These people feel entitled; rules do not apply to them. Jail him until he gets it!”
“Some people operate with a lack of common sense…get that selfie!!”
“Folks with no insight or knowledge about a wild place go into National Parks believing they are a glorified petting zoo.”
“I had a pair of rutting moose charge past my conversion van while I was legally parked on the side of a dirt road. It shook my van and made me fully appreciate their power. This guy has no idea how dangerous his action was!!!”
“I’d like to see him paying a huge fine x3 for stupidity.”
“When in Alaska, Park Rangers always said the moose were the most dangerous because of their speed and ability to kick. And to be sure that the person you’re with runs slower than you!”
“He gets what he deserves! Should be brought up on charges and banned from the park.”
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“Seems like a tranquilizer dart could prevent tragedy in this case. Of course, the bipedal intruder would be the recipient of said dart.”
“This makes me so angry, animals are put in danger because of this foolhardiness…follow the rules.”
“Would have been fun to watch him run from the moose. Common sense doesn’t grow in everyone’s garden.”
“It’s the moronic behavior of other visitors that keep me from visiting national parks more often. It just seems like it’s getting way too frequent!”
“Grrrr…I hate to say this but they almost deserve to get injured by the wildlife!!! Plain ignorance!!!!”
Indeed, all of the above.
Photo courtesy of Rocky Mountain National Park.
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