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To: blueunicorn6
Stop the car, dear, so the kids can go out and pet the kitty

You jest, but my father ran into this very thing in Yellowstone. Idiots in the car behind him sent their kids out to pose for pictures next to the cute little baby buffalos. Dad grabbed the kids and got them to safety just in the nick of time. Dad - not a man for hyperbole - said "It was a close one." That means, "I had buffalo slobber on the back of my shirt".

Funny thing was that the idiots raised hell with Dad for what he did. Ranger had to get involved... he gave the idiots what for, sent them on their way, and mentioned to Dad that he wouldn't believe the number of times that he needed to deal with this particular issue...

55 posted on 02/12/2019 9:32:46 AM PST by wbill
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To: wbill

My wife jumped out of the car to get a picture of a herd of Dall sheep right next to the road one time. “Babe... Wait...” too late, never saw her run that fast before ever. She just barely made it back to the car and in the door. lol


61 posted on 02/12/2019 9:47:33 AM PST by Openurmind
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To: wbill
You jest, but my father ran into this very thing in Yellowstone. Idiots in the car behind him sent their kids out to pose for pictures next to the cute little baby buffalos. Dad grabbed the kids and got them to safety just in the nick of time. Dad - not a man for hyperbole - said "It was a close one." That means, "I had buffalo slobber on the back of my shirt".

I had a somewhat similar experience in Rocky Mt. National Park. I was photographing a herd of elk, who kept coming closer and closer to me, even though I kept backing away. I was about 15-20 feet from a huge bull with an armchair sized rack on him. I didn't want to be that close, but the elk kept coming closer to ME as they grazed. However, it was all good. They knew I was no threat and I was thrilled to see little behavioral details I'd never read about. But I majored in zoology, my specialty was animal behavior, and I had a lifetime of experience reading animal non-verbal cues.

Meanwhile, a bunch of yahoo tourists came on the scene. They kept approaching the elk, which made me very nervous. Finally, I said to them, "Stop! Any closer and you will spook them. You want those very sharp antlers run through you, powered by hundreds of pounds of muscle? Back off!" A few seconds later, I heard a deep masculine voice say, with a slight Southern twang, "Thank you ma'am. You may have saved some lives."

I've also run across yahoo tourists who were practically on top of a bear who was munching berries in a thicket, and there were no trees around if things went south. These people come to wildlife areas, totally ignorant of the fact that it's NOT a petting zoo, and violate the animals' space never thinking it might take exception to that and strike out at them in defense.

77 posted on 02/12/2019 10:24:24 AM PST by EinNYC
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