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What's Wrong With This Picture?

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Published Date

June 8, 2006

1bisonkids_copy   So, what's at play here? Are we talking communing up close with nature, or a building case of child neglect?
    I'd opt for the latter. I mean, really, where are the parents and what are they thinking? Do they have a death wish for their kids? Any bets that if the kids wound up being gored, which they didn't, that the parents would sue the National Park Service?
    A frightening number of folks every year tend to forget that national parks are not city parks, that the animals they see are wild and consider the park their home and that every one else is a potential invader or predator.
    Proof of that came just the other day when a 16-year-old from South Korea got a tad too close to a moose and her two newborn calves in Grand Teton National Park. How close? Within ten feet, a claustrophobic amount of space to a mamma moose, who not only quickly chased down this youth but kicked him in the head.
    No word on the youth's condition. But the moose and her calves are fine.
    Oh, about that bison picture? You can read what other folks think of it by checking out the Island Park (Idaho) News web site. As for the negligent parents, they obviously didn't pay too much attention to the handouts they received when they arrived at YellowstoneYellbisonho_copyjpeg National Park. Among them is this wonderful, brightly colored, perhaps even somewhat humorous, notice:

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Comments

I love the national parks, but it is true people do not respect nature. The wild animals become to many people the same as the animals found in a petting zoo. I wish people would follow the warnings given by the parks and respect the wildlife--I know the animals are cute, but safety of people and animals is much more important than taking cute photos or touching an animal on a dare.

You said it all. We just got back from visiting Yellowstone and received one of those very colorful flyers. I showed it to my kids and we stayed in our truck when animals were around. I did see alot of foolish people trying to get as close as they could. Some will never learn!!

The nonchalant look of the kids (not paying much attention to the bison) leads me to believe that this is a zoom shot...the bison are actually much further away than it appears....

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