people think these are for pets.

and people just aren't getting any smarter (in fact, if anything the converse).

I'm glad the Park has begun aggressively tracking down and issuing fines to the bozos. (although I hold out little hope that it will change anything)

It's people like that, and there are hundreds if not thousands in that one park alone every day, are what made my experience working in the park suck giant donkey dicks every fucking day. Though it made me a better actress.

white tail buck about 2 months ago so I stopped my pick up truck and told him to back away slowly.
Which he did and his family thanked me ... he looked to be the grand dad. The guy just didn't get but
that 180 lbs of muscle could ruin his day in split second and that in that buck's brain was the idea that
he was the bad ass boss of his space.

I lived there, I encountered bison often both in and out of the park. I've been close enough to touch them several times as they walked past my vehicle. But I have also been charged and close to stampeded by them, not because I approached them but because they stampeded through where I was. When I was charged, I was 300-400yrds away when they decided to make a run for me.


One major problem is that people see every place as something they can blast right through, make the desired quick stops and see it all in one afternoon. It only gets bad from there. They are all in a rush to get to the next traffic jam. And everyone is stressed out to the max. People are at their worst while on vacation.

Did you live?

They run fast and are agile in ways you would not think, can leap over a 6ft fence... seen it myself.

That day, I was talking to some park visitors about elk tussles in Mammoth while looking at an elk bull and a bison bull lounging down at the river bank. While we spoke the elk got up and left. The couple decided to sit on a bench nearby and we kept the conversation going. I noted where the bison was, still lying in the grass waaaay over there. But I was in uniform, which they hate, and I made the MAJOR mistake of turning my back for a moment. Almost as soon as I did that bull was up on his feet and moving full scream ahead in our direction. I got a weird feeling and looked over my shoulder to see he was 1/3 of the way up to us, we were about 100ft from the building, I quickly told them to get inside NOW! We all ran, which is nearly impossible in the uniform boots, and just made it in the door as the bull got within 10 feet of us. I had to run to the other end of the place to the other door and tell the people there to get inside. After they were in they saw why I made them come in. The bull sort of hung around like a predatory shark for a few minutes, left a massive crap in front of the door and then went off into the woods.

It was tense for minute or two. It's also the same place I was on the edge of a stampede, that was really tense.

Roadway, there is a Prairie Dog village. Little fuckers are cute. There is a sign, Plague is found amongst the animals. Stay out.

And there were idiots walking among the mounds --- Gotta get a picture to show people back home.

It also bring on the social media challenges; "Look at the stupid shit I got away with...". Like petting a grizzly bear or wading through Grand Prismatic hot spring. Too bad more of them don't die doing that shit.

Bisons are a minor league baseball team in Buffalo and the Tourists are one in Asheville so they probably never played each other but it's nice to see the peaceful beating the idiots. Hope that happens in the 2024 elections.