The acts of the tourists have been called "insane" by social media users.
Videos showing some tourists trying to pat and take selfies with bison at a national park in the US have gone viral and led to huge discussion on social media. During the startling encounters, the tourists came too close to the animals and were almost gored by them at the Yellowstone National Park. Users on Instagram and other social media platforms have called the tourists "reckless" and the acts "insane". Thy have also demanded that tourists like these should be arrested.
In one video that was posted on the Instagram handle of TouronsOfYellowstone on May 22, an unidentified woman is seen extending her arm to touch a bison that is eating grass while a friend takes photos.
In a split second, the bison lunges forward, as if it's charging towards the tourist. The woman quickly retreats in a panic, stumbling over herself in the process. The frightened screams of the group can be heard in the background.
Another video posted on Sunday shows a woman taking a selfie, just inches away from a massive bison which is trying to rest on the ground.
"Sighted at Biscuit Basin. She was trying to pet it. It was insane. Like inches. Her arrogance was so infuriating. People were telling her to move away and she kept posing for like 10 minutes," reads the Instagram post.
The woman was fortunate that the bison did not react and she walked away unscathed.
The act, however, left social media user enraged.
"People should be arrested for this, ignorance like this is why people continue to get hurt," one Instagram user commented.
"She's lucky they didn't have a calf with them," wrote another.
Yellowstone is home to a substantial bison population, with the count reaching 5,900 in 2022.
National Park Service (NPS), a US government agency, has posted advisory on its website warning tourists to stay away from these animals saying they are "wild and unpredictable".