Everything's is fun and games until someone loses and eye. Wildlife Photographer Gets Up-Close With Elk - Wide Open Spaces
Definitely agree with Oldcarp. Glad no one was hurt, couldn't imagine how the on lookers would have felt. Personally, if I would have been the person in the GMC in the back ground I would have tried to scare the elk off before the guy got impaled. lol
Stupidest! Thing I have seen. People never cease to amaze me with their idiotic mannerisms. He just sat there. This could have gone south real quick. He had an opportunity to move and stayed. He was lucky. The bull could have gored him through and cow kicked him in the blink of an eye. You see this all the time with animals and soft people. Photographer...idiot! He was lucky..look at the pretty elk! Famous last words...
Anyone else think the guy was kind of a dumbarse? If that bull would of poked his eye out I wonder how this story would play out. Sue the national park? Put the Bull down?
The park officials ended up euthanizing the Elk that the photographer had this encounter with. Sometimes when humans interact with wildlife, it may look and seem cool at the time, but this time the wildlife paid for the encounter with their life. According to Asheville and Knoxville news sources, official tried to "haze" the animal so it would fear humans, but people have been feeding the elk, and they have become accustomed to human interaction. In this case, the fear conditioning didn't work, and they put the elk down. Such a sad ending to an interesting story and video.
I don't know why he shouldn't be banned from there. Imagine the look on a kids face if this individual was hooked in the torso and hauled off high! Pictures at an appropriate distance..what a concept!
