Toddler-wielding Yellowstone tourists do most idiotic thing imaginable upon seeing 1,000 pound BISON
One mother is seen holding her toddler's hand as she casually strolls past a large 'Road Closed' sign and makes a beeline for the bison, apparently trying to give her child a closer look at the hulking beast.
She's flanked by two other women, also with small children in tow—who hover dangerously close to the unpredictable animal.
The alarming scene was filmed by Jennifer Gunderson, a photographer visiting the park with her husband Rob to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary.
'Rob and I pulled into Pebble Creek picnic area—which was formerly a campground closed due to severe flooding in 2022. We were about to have our lunch when we heard shouting,' she told DailyMail.com.
'We looked over to the gate and saw a few parents with small children making their way towards a bison. We also shouted with the others, but none of these families responded and kept getting closer.'
'The people next to me were on the phone with park services, so I decided to start recording in case of an incident and evidence was needed.'
Jennifer, who has been a professional photographer for over 40 years, said her background in nature and wildlife made the incident all the more jarring.
'To be honest, I was shocked that people would get that close to a wild animal—let alone bring small children with them,' she said.
'Since we started planning this trip three years ago, we researched safe distances from large wildlife.
'We've followed the 'Tourons of Yellowstone' Instagram account and shook our heads at some of the things posted.
'Never in our wildest dreams did we think we'd witness it in person.'
Jennifer said she and Rob have always loved landscape and wildlife photography.
'We planned this trip as our anniversary celebration for Grand Tetons and Yellowstone,' she explained. 'Last time I was in Yellowstone was 1976.'
Though no one was injured in the bison encounter, it could have ended very differently.
The footage has sparked fresh calls for better education - and harsher penalties - for tourists who put their children, and Yellowstone's animals, at risk.
This comes just after a New Jersey man was gored by a Yellowstone bison—the second person this year to feel the wrath of the massive beasts after getting too close.
The 30-year-old, from Randolph, was attacked just before 10 a.m. Tuesday in the Upper Geyser Basin, not far from Old Faithful, after he and a group of tourists approached the animal. It charged and struck him, leaving him with minor injuries.
He was transported by emergency personnel for treatment, and the incident remains under investigation.
It marked the second goring of 2025. On May 4, a 47-year-old Florida man was also gored after approaching a bison.
In 2024, two more people were injured by bison, including an 83-year-old South Carolina woman who was tossed into the air after getting caught in a bison's horns.
There was one goring in 2023, and two in 2022—each a stark warning that Yellowstone's wildlife is anything but tame.
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