YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK - Don't take selfies with animals in Rocky Mountain National Park, rangers say, and the same goes for Yellowstone.
Tour guide Jody Tibbitts shared a video on social media that shows an elk running at a woman who tries to approach the animal for a picture. The incident happened on Sunday.
"Ma'am? Ma'am? Could you please...?" Tibbitts is heard saying on the video just as the elk starts running toward her. The camera didn't catch connection but moments later, the woman is seen rolling on her back. Tibbits told East Idaho News that the elk stopped just short of hitting her and the woman tripped and fell to the ground.
In the video, the elk stares at her for a few moments and then walks away.
In the clip, Tibbitts tells the woman that she was too close to the elk. Park rules mandate staying 25 yards away from large game animals. She replies, "It won't happen again."
He's heard saying, "I'm sure it won't," but Tibbitts told ABC News that it will happen again, but it'll be someone else.
The video was shot by Manny Perez, who told KUSA-TV he wants to share it so visitors know what not to do in a national park.
The number of visitors to national parks is at a record high. Just this week, Rocky Mountain National Park rangers emphasized that summer visitors must stay away from wildlife.
ABC reports the woman in the Yellowstone video has been charged. Last month, other Yellowstone visitors were charged for putting a baby bison in their car because they thought the animal was cold. The calf had to be euthanized because it was rejected from its herd.
