I was at the Grand Canyon a month ago, and I filmed a couple of dumbasses trying to get selfies with the elk. Bad idea. They're wild animals. I'm sure they're used to humans, but they're still wild. A dumb girl found out very quickly how aggressive they can be.
I was out in Rocky Mountain last September, and I got a chance to get some cool photos of elk, but it's mating season for them, and there were people less than 40 yards trying to get a shot, and all they had between them and an aggressive elk was a medium sized rock. That's why camera makers have 300mm lenses. So people can stay away at a safe distance and get shots.
I call that Darwinism in action. If one of them got gored, you'd have had no sympathy from me.
A number of years back when I took my (now) wife to Yellowstone, we were chatting with a ranger that was having a hard time keeping the tourists away from a herd of bison. I know the ranger had to do her job and continue to keep those fuckwits away from the bison, but part of me wished that she could have let the bison herd sort out the problem, while we get it on video...but I'm just misanthropic that way.
The closest we got was when a bigass male bison decided to stroll right down the road. We were parked with the engine off and made no sudden moves--He was moving straight down the road with the gait similar to the bull that Mongo was riding in Blazing Saddles and looked like anything could spook him. We just sat and watched--he was so clsoe I could have reached out and touched him, but I'm smarter than that. He just walked on by and continued down the road.
Was glad I didn't have to do the jingle, but yeah, don't **** with an animal that weighs more than your car.
