-What’s wrong with these people?

National parks are not petting zoos, and one tourist put himself in serious danger.

Turons national parks (@touronsofnationalpark) is back with another moment that has taken the internet by storm. A video The Instagram account posted shows a visitor to Spearfish Canyon in South Dakota on the side of the road approaching and trying to feed some goats.

The caption to the post contains instructions from South Dakota Hunt, Fish and Parkswhich states that guests should stay “at least 100 yards (91 meters) away from mountain goats” and that “feeding goats can habituate them to people, resulting in aggressive behavior.”

There are many other rules that this guest is breaking, such as approaching, touching or disturbing wildlife, and deviating from designated trails to do so.

Tourists may underestimate the danger of mountain goats, especially compared to other park wildlife such as elk And bears. However, these goats can still cause a lot of damage, and approaching them puts yourself, others, and the animal at risk.

National Park Service warns that mountain goats’ horns can be large and sharp, and when they attack, they can seriously injure or even kill.

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Unfortunately, this has happened before: The NPD explained that a mountain goat in Washington “fatally gored a visitor who was hiking in the Hurricane Ridge area of ​​Olympic National Park.” These rules are created to ensure that this does not happen again.

Actions like those shown in the video also risk destroying these great places to stay for people who respect park service instructions. If wildlife loses their fear of humans, it could pose an additional safety risk that could lead to trail closures.

While the tourists in the clip were lucky that the goat wasn’t angry, the commenters certainly were.

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“What’s wrong with these people?” – asked one user.

“That’s what petting zoos are for,” said another user. “Stay away from wild animals and try to keep them away from you.”

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