While majority of people celebrate the 4th of July watching fireworks, one person decided to dress up as an animal and chase bison in Yellowstone National Park.
The alleged incident occurred in Hayden Valley in the heart of Yellowstone National Park on Independence Day. Park tourist, Jeff Kingsbury posted about the incident in a Yellowstone National Park Facebook Group.
Kingsbury wrote, “Did anyone else see the guy dressed up in an animal costume chasing the bison over in Hayden valley today? “ He continued, “Is this common during tourist season?”
Facebook group admin, Maddy Tobin wrote, “Well I have heard of a lot but not this so I would say no…it is not common.”
Although there is no video of the incident yet, one group member shared the photo below in the post thread. It has not been confirmed if the person dressed in the fox costume [pictured] is the same person who was chasing bison in Hayden Valley.
Source: Brenda Leonard (Facebook)
This year, there has been an uptick of Yellowstone National Park visitors caught on film breaking the park rules, getting too close to wildlife and some even provoking wildlife all for social media clout. In an incident last month, a man was caught on camera harassing a black bear. It was confirmed later that the video was not taken in a National Park.
On July 4th, another visitor was caught on camera being a little too close to wildlife. Tourons of Yellowstone posted on social media a video of tourists who got a little too close to a grazing bison.
The social media channel showcases different park visitors caught on camera breaking the rules and guidelines of the park in an attempt to bring awareness.
Originally caught on camera by @luudens, a man tried to take a selfie with a bison near the Grand Prismatic Spring. After a few photos, the bison became slightly agitated and moved toward the tourist.
Another tourist who was near the man and bison, took off running after the bison lunged at the other tourist.
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There have been so many cases of wildlife harassers recently that the National Park Service published a warning to park visitors to leave the animals alone and give them space. Not just for the safety of the tourist but also the animals.
“Approaching wild animals can drastically affect their well-being and, in some cases, their survival,” said the NPS. “When an animal is near a campsite, trail, boardwalk, parking lot, on a road, or in a developed area, leave it alone and give it space.”
When visiting parks like Yellowstone, be mindful of the wildlife and respect the distance guidelines suggested by park officials.
