Public Service Announcement! I apologize in advance, this post is going to be a bit of a rant. 😇
Every year tourists come to our beautiful corner of South Dakota. They visit some of our amazing locations like Wind Cave National Park and Custer State Park. Many of these visitors aren’t used to some of the exotic wildlife we have here.
Many of them have only seen domesticated animals in their pens, or have only seen wild animals if it’s been behind the safety of cages or other dividers in places like zoos. Out West, we have national and state parks where there’s nothing between you and the MASSIVE, POWERFUL, and VERY WILD animals except a little bit of oxygen. So let’s talk about giving wildlife room to roam!
Every year you hear of people getting attacked by deer, elk, or bear (especially in places like Yellowstone National Park.) Oftentimes they’ll get charged or gored by buffalo which especially, seem to be problematic and tempting for visitors. They look like domesticated cows…note to self, THEY AREN’T! They are strong, they have INCREDIBLY HARD AND POWERFUL heads, and oh yeah, they have SHARP HORNS!…even the females.
It’s pretty well known that Mommas of any species can get quite aggressive when defending their babies. (I’m not a human Momma but Puppers is my baby and I will go into full Momma Grizzly mode if someone or something tries to hurt her. 😝 ) Oftentimes, mother animals are the ones that can pose the greatest risk to us, or our dogs. Even neighborhood deer have been known to act aggressively when they think their young are in danger.
We all need to remember that when we go out in the wild, we are invading the animals’ homes. Let’s be courteous guests and treat this natural beauty with the respect it deserves! If an animal reacts to you in any way, YOU ARE TOO CLOSE! It doesn’t matter if you think you’re giving them plenty of space or if you “aren’t even doing anything”. If the animal reacts to you that’s his way of telling you that you need to back off, and that should be the end of the story.
So the next time you’re visiting one of these amazing locations or interacting with wild animals in any setting, take it from a local (and heed the advice of the MANY signs that are posted ALL OVER these types of parks)…#dontpetthefluffycows! 🙄 We are supposed to be the superior species in regards to mental prowess, after all, so let’s act like it, please! 😝
Do you have any suggestions for enjoying the beauty of wild animals while also giving them space? Let me know what they are in the comments!
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Absolutely agree with you. This is their home. We need to respect that.