As a former park ranger, I have witnessed people approach large animals such as elephant seals or Alaskan brown bears.This is an inhumane and selfish act that causes harm to wild animals. Many of them are already at risk, living in a few pockets of once rich habitat. While many people respect wildlife, there is still a strong strain of ignorance and naivety in American culture that encourages park visitors to harass and disturb gregarious animals like Yellowstone National Park's wild bison and grizzly bears.According to Montana's Billings Gazette, a park officer recently charged a woman with disturbing wildlife after she approached and agitated an grizzly mom with her cubs. The woman will appear in court in August.The videotaped interaction can be viewed on YouTube. To take a photo, a woman walks within 15 feet from the grizzly family group. Naturally defensive, the mother bear bluffs at the woman to stop her from getting closer. The park responded with a non-lethal response.This unfortunate event has one important message: Bears need space, just like other wildlife. This shows respect and allows wild animals to live without being hampered by humans.Yellowstone is an example of this. Visitors are told to keep at least 100 meters (93 m) away from bears and not approach them to take photos. Similar regulations are in Alaska's Katmai National Park. This is where Fat Bear Week internet fame has it. Visitors are required to stay at least 50 feet from bears while visiting a bear-viewing location.Respecting wildlife and keeping a safe distance from large animals is a good way to avoid serious injuries to humans or worse. Deion Broxton was a journalist whose avoidance from a Yellowstone bison herd became a viral sensation in 2020.Broxton said, "Oh no! I'm not playing with you," as Broxton was about to be slapped by a bison.Nervous people were within 10 feet of a Yellowstone bison in 2019. A nine-year old girl was violently thrown into the air by the bison after it charged. Parents ignored warnings not to feed sealions in 2017. In 2017, a sea lion leapt out of the water and grabbed a young girl. She survived.SEE ALSO : 2020 deep sea discoveries are breathtakingWhat is the reason people approach dangerous animals? Many people are not in touch with nature today. Children might be raised in an environment that is heavily influenced by television and urban life but not enough exposure to the natural world. Children miss important cues about natural danger at young ages. These cues influence their future understanding and outlook.Clark Barrett, a biological Anthropologist at the University of Los Angeles in California, said that there is no innate knowledge of which animals can be dangerous or not.As children get older, their ability to grasp the threats and realities of the wild world may be lost. Dan Blumstein (a behavioral ecologist from the University of Los Angeles in California) said, "It's almost like people leave their brains in their cars when they go into wilderness."We are not powerless. When you go into the wilderness, listen to the park rangers and educate yourself as well as those around you. Consider the animals. Give them space.
