National Parks not a petting zoo!

I live next door to Canada's Banff National Park and I see it all the time when people stop at the side of the road to get their pictures. The worst are the parents who actually let their kids walk around. Bears climb on cars to eat out of your hand and eat your hand in the process. Elk charge and speer you with their large antlers. If you run away, you become pray to the cars on the road that are doing 60 to 70 mph while passing. I hope some people realize that wildlife photographers are always in danger and that they are better prepared than most amateurs think.
Rinus of calgary

Tim Lozinski said:

Heh, the things is, its NOT our American cousins are less
intelligent than us Brits (who said that!?). I think its the whole
boldness thing. Maybe I am wrong to speak for the whole UK in
this, but I think most Brits would be WAY too S* t scared to mess
with wild beasts - we prefer our Looooong lenses .

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I was driving through a National Park here in Canada a couple of years ago and amazed to to several tourists, cameras in hands, taking pictures around a grazing bull mouse at the side of the road.

You may be right in the boldness thing (Canadians included in this). I think we North Americans do have a little more boldness when it comes to wild life and adventure. Maybe it's what caused us to leave 'home' how many centurys ago. ;-) We don't think twice about driving the car on a 4,000 Km cross country trip. From the few European 'cousins' I've talked to, that is pretty much unheard of over there.

Rinus said:

I hope some people
realize that wildlife photographers are always in danger and that
they are better prepared than most amateurs think.
Rinus of calgary

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I blame Disney and Sesame Street for the abysmal ignorance of people toward wild animals. They grow up watching cute cartoon hippo ballerinas and horses, cows, and lions that chatter away. In fact, wild animals are dangerous, they do not talk or laugh at our jokes and do not think that we or our children are cute. About 15 years ago, a Univ. of Penn student on a safari bent down to pet the cute hippopotamus in the river; it ripped her arm right out of its socket. This is not unusual - it happens all too often. It's not a matter of animal rights - wild animals will either flee, or if startled or cornered will fight. That's their nature. Keep clear of them.

--
Oly E100RS, Canon EOS D30, Oly D-550, Canon S30, eyeball

ForestGump said:

Anyway I know many will have ridiculous arguments favoring the
rights of the Bison over humans. So to all those who put animals
over humans go graze with them in the feilds and give up all your
comforts because every where you shop, live, drive, vacation, and
just plain carry out your life your standing in a wild life gut
pile. Because before we showed up as humans wild life lived there
and we had to kill them (or dirve them away) and take it over.

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This isn't a rights issue between animals and humans. The human was warned that bison are dangerous, don't approach them. Human ignored warning and bison reacted like, well, a bison. Humans are warned all the time about dangerous places, situations. Ignoring a warning places all of the responsibility on the person.

David Goerndt

Wrong! We do not "own" anything! We are here on earth, just as all the rest of nature. When we live in harmony with nature, it lives in harmony with us. We are supposed to be the most intelligent, but we do not respect nature and other creatures. Take a good look at nature sometime, you will see that all the other creatures respect each others space, a trait sadly lacking in man.

The photographer did not respect the bison, due to ignorance of what it is to be a bison. After what the white man did to the bison, it is a wonder they tolerate us at all. The photographer invaded the bison's comfort zone, and the bison reacted accordingly. Note that the bison's actions terminated after removing the threat, man would have continued the aggression until the offender was dead. They were here long before us, it's only man's arrogence that keeps him from living in harmony.

ForestGump said:

mikeysbistro said:

I can just see the Bison saying "Yeah who's your Daddy now Mr.
photographer man ..."

It's nice to see the wildlife winning one for a change. I know it's
necessary sometimes but I hate it when we put down animals because
"we" do something stupid.

Marty Scher B said:

Some people can't get it that wild ainmals are - well -wild.

This guy just had to have the shot.

http://msn.espn.go.com/outdoors/conservation/news/2002/0809/1416254.html

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--
Lifes a box of chocolates, but mines all melted and stuff.

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Baywing said:

Wrong! We do not "own" anything! We are here on earth, just as
all the rest of nature. When we live in harmony with nature, it
lives in harmony with us.

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It would be interesting to see you in the North Woods without mosquito repellent.

Baywing said:

We are supposed to be the most
intelligent, but we do not respect nature and other creatures.

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Unfortunately true.

Baywing said:

Take a good look at nature sometime, you will see that all the
other creatures respect each others space, a trait sadly lacking in
man.

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I'd suggest that you spend a bit of time watching critters in the wild instead of Disney movies. Ants destroying another ant colony, humming birds fighting over a chance to get to a flower, wrens filling nesting spots with twigs to keep other birds out, nuthatches driving chickadees away from a seed source, chichadees stealing the seeds nuthatches have hidden, .... Whatever else critters do, it isn't respecting each other's space. And that isn't even getting into predator-prey or sexual dominance relationships.

If one critter respects another's space, it is out of fear.

Baywing said:

The photographer did not respect the bison, due to ignorance of
what it is to be a bison. After what the white man did to the
bison, it is a wonder they tolerate us at all. The photographer
invaded the bison's comfort zone, and the bison reacted
accordingly. Note that the bison's actions terminated after
removing the threat, man would have continued the aggression until
the offender was dead. They were here long before us, it's only
man's arrogence that keeps him from living in harmony.

Click to expand...

Nature's harmony is "red in tooth and claw". Not the Disney view.

David Goerndt said:

davidleegoerndt said:

Anyway I know many will have ridiculous arguments favoring the
rights of the Bison over humans. So to all those who put animals
over humans go graze with them in the feilds and give up all your
comforts because every where you shop, live, drive, vacation, and
just plain carry out your life your standing in a wild life gut
pile. Because before we showed up as humans wild life lived there
and we had to kill them (or dirve them away) and take it over.

Click to expand...

This isn't a rights issue between animals and humans. The human was
warned that bison are dangerous, don't approach them. Human ignored
warning and bison reacted like, well, a bison. Humans are warned
all the time about dangerous places, situations. Ignoring a warning
places all of the responsibility on the person.

David Goerndt

Click to expand...

Exactly,

There is a river near where I live. If I go there, jump in it and die drowning I should be able to sue the city for not putting a warning sign and a fence.

lolrotf

People are starting to get totaly disconnected from reality. For anybody who is sane of mind there should not be a need to put up a warning sign.

Gaetan J.
'when you assume something you make an ass out of u and me' B.Hill

Another disconnected fellow. Rights and ownership are concepts and ideas being followed by a group of people who agrees on the terms and who agrees to play by the "rules". In the real world the one who get kicked in the but loose.

ForestGump said:

mikeysbistro said:

I can just see the Bison saying "Yeah who's your Daddy now Mr.
photographer man ..."

It's nice to see the wildlife winning one for a change. I know it's
necessary sometimes but I hate it when we put down animals because
"we" do something stupid.

Marty Scher B said:

Some people can't get it that wild ainmals are - well -wild.

This guy just had to have the shot.

http://msn.espn.go.com/outdoors/conservation/news/2002/0809/1416254.html

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--
Lifes a box of chocolates, but mines all melted and stuff.

Click to expand...

--
Gaetan J.
'when you assume something you make an ass out of u and me' B.Hill

You are just a little bit wrong.

there is almost no harmony in nature. Only a system of balance, give a lion a chance to eat you and it will eat you. That is not harmony. The photog was lucky that a bison only eat grass.

Baywing said:

ForestGump said:

mikeysbistro said:

I can just see the Bison saying "Yeah who's your Daddy now Mr.
photographer man ..."

It's nice to see the wildlife winning one for a change. I know it's
necessary sometimes but I hate it when we put down animals because
"we" do something stupid.

Marty Scher B said:

Some people can't get it that wild ainmals are - well -wild.

This guy just had to have the shot.

http://msn.espn.go.com/outdoors/conservation/news/2002/0809/1416254.html

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--
Lifes a box of chocolates, but mines all melted and stuff.

Click to expand...

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--
Gaetan J.
'when you assume something you make an ass out of u and me' B.Hill

Ha ha that's funny! Where you come from definitely decides a lot about how you react to signage. Here in New York a red flashing "DON'T WALK" sign is just a suggestion And there really isn't any point to having it say "WALK" ...

Tim Lozinski said:

Heh, the things is, its NOT our American cousins are less
intelligent than us Brits (who said that!?). I think its the whole
boldness thing. Maybe I am wrong to speak for the whole UK in
this, but I think most Brits would be WAY too S* t scared to mess
with wild beasts - we prefer our Looooong lenses .

That said, I did notice that no matter HOW many warnings they give
on planes about staying seated til the signs say so - on American
Domestics most people just do as they please and wander around
anyway - on Brit Domestics people tend to do as they are told
(maybe I am in a minority of experience) - perhaps its cos we all
don't fly as much as all that so its kinda 'special' and we don't
want to get it wrong, heh.

Whats it mean? Maybe warning signs in America are optional, but
when I see 'don't pee on the electric fence' I usually pay damn
good attention.

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I've been close to bison. Very close. But, unlike most people I make my presence blend in with the terrain, and when the animals realize i'm not a threat they let me be. Once again, I STATE! Animals are like people.

Secondly, we don't own the land. We are a part of it. Owning it is something that only people with little understanding of ecology or the natural world would say. Sometimes I wish there were more Bison and a lot less humans. Lets hope some day this is the case. Bison seem to have more intelligence than most humans, anyway.

Baywing said:

ForestGump said:

mikeysbistro said:

I can just see the Bison saying "Yeah who's your Daddy now Mr.
photographer man ..."

It's nice to see the wildlife winning one for a change. I know it's
necessary sometimes but I hate it when we put down animals because
"we" do something stupid.

Marty Scher B said:

Some people can't get it that wild ainmals are - well -wild.

This guy just had to have the shot.

http://msn.espn.go.com/outdoors/conservation/news/2002/0809/1416254.html

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--
Lifes a box of chocolates, but mines all melted and stuff.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--
Gary T. Wilson
[email protected]

lets try this again:





http

Gary T. Wilson said:

I've been close to bison. Very close. But, unlike most people I
make my presence blend in with the terrain, and when the animals
realize i'm not a threat they let me be. Once again, I STATE!
Animals are like people.

Secondly, we don't own the land. We are a part of it. Owning it
is something that only people with little understanding of ecology
or the natural world would say. Sometimes I wish there were more
Bison and a lot less humans. Lets hope some day this is the case.
Bison seem to have more intelligence than most humans, anyway.

Click to expand...

Gary T. Wilson109092 said:

Baywing said:

ForestGump said:

mikeysbistro said:

I can just see the Bison saying "Yeah who's your Daddy now Mr.
photographer man ..."

It's nice to see the wildlife winning one for a change. I know it's
necessary sometimes but I hate it when we put down animals because
"we" do something stupid.

Marty Scher B said:

Some people can't get it that wild ainmals are - well -wild.

This guy just had to have the shot.

http://msn.espn.go.com/outdoors/conservation/news/2002/0809/1416254.html

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--
Lifes a box of chocolates, but mines all melted and stuff.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--
Gary T. Wilson
[email protected]

Click to expand...

--
Gary T. Wilson
[email protected]

I'm sure you are special, but the guy in the linked GIF maybe didn't think he was a threat either. Besides, the 25 yard distance is a park regulation.

http://www.nps.gov/yell/kidstuff/testknow/images/bisongor.htm

Your Bison shots appear to be at a relatively safe distance.

Even tamed animals are prone to let their wild instincts take over. It's even easier for the wild ones!

Regards

Gary T. Wilson said:

Secondly, we don't own the land. We are a part of it. Owning it
is something that only people with little understanding of ecology
or the natural world would say. Sometimes I wish there were more
Bison and a lot less humans. Lets hope some day this is the case.
Bison seem to have more intelligence than most humans, anyway.

Baywing said:

ForestGump said:

mikeysbistro said:

I can just see the Bison saying "Yeah who's your Daddy now Mr.
photographer man ..."

It's nice to see the wildlife winning one for a change. I know it's
necessary sometimes but I hate it when we put down animals because
"we" do something stupid.

Marty Scher B said:

Some people can't get it that wild ainmals are - well -wild.

This guy just had to have the shot.

http://msn.espn.go.com/outdoors/conservation/news/2002/0809/1416254.html

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--
Lifes a box of chocolates, but mines all melted and stuff.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

--
Gary T. Wilson
[email protected]

Click to expand...

I believe for the most part, Bison are gentle creatures. When any creature is threatened or attacked, the survival instincts go into effect. Bison for the most part, and from what i've observed are gentle non-provoking creatures. Usually, in a herd of bison, you have a few that stand out on the edge of the herd, and keep watch of the terrain for any threats the could threaten the herd. This photographer perhaps, got too close to one of the watchman.

Now, National Parks are basically "sanctuaries". We wouldn't even have them if they weren't needed out of neccessity. Theodore Roosevelt created the National Park Service out of necessity. At the time in our history in which National Parks were created we were losing our wildlands in North America at an alarming rate. Many creatures in the country were being erradicated, and many lands were being converted into human settlement. TR felt it was necessary to conserve some of this wildland for our own survival....and I believe his viewpoint was one necessary for the survival of human species as well.

The National Park service is perhaps one of the United States greatest moral and philosophical achievements.

Now, as for the gentlemen that was gored by the Bison. I believe the guy was attempting to connect to the natural world. He was attempting to escape and find what he was missing in his daily life. But, in his lopsided view he didn't understand what he was attempting to connect to. He didn't respect the animals personal space, and he was gored in the process. If he would have let the bison have his space, and in turn been less provoking in his actions, what occured would have probably never happened. Perhaps, this fellow spent time in zoos, and felt that the bison in Yellowstone were similar to those he saw in zoos. And in a way, he's somewhat not off key. National Parks are islands of wilderness surrounded by civilization. In a way they are somewhat "wild zoos". Was he in the wrong? Perhaps not. He wasn't attempting to kill the bison...he was just trying to connect to the world that exists outside of human civilization.

But, would you like it if someone encroached you within a few yards, and quickly snapped a photo? NO! Why do you think so many celebrities punch out paparatzy? Once again, we must treat animals when we take images just like we would want to be treated ourselves. Isn't this a basic civial law of even humanity?

I believe one must ask themselves why they take pictuers? I see the camera as an extension of our eye, and of course, an extension of our brain and our thought process. The camera represents our ability to obvserve the world in a new and more profound light. The moment of time that we observed is captured for more than just an instance. It's captured for perhaps an eternity (and this is being speculative that this image would last over a period of time). Images help us reconnect to that moment in time that we spent in the universe.

Now, as for me being "special"...well, thats a philosophical viewpoint. I see the bison that he was taking a picture of just as special as him. And I am just as special as the bison, the grass, and the other photographer. The bison has to survive on this earth, just as he and we do. Life is sacred, correct? If there is a certain level of respect involved, the bison usually will respect his ability to take an image. On a personal level, I believe all life on this planet was granted some level of intelligence by the universe, regardless. But, because humans tend to be very eccentric short minded creatures, we tend to observe the world only through our eyes, and not the greater universes. Only, humans have souls and thought processes, right? Well, I at least believe differently, and i'm sure most people with pets will also agree differently.

Yes, we need to eat. Yes, we need energy. Yes, even the bison consumes grass (which is in itself a form of life) to gather the energy to keep surviving.. This is just how it works from my understanding. Many Native Americans creatures had a level of morality and that humans weren't the only ones granted this ability in the universe..

As for being special...I don't believe i'm any more special than the bison or the photographer. Once again, i'm just a lifeform on this planet, just as everything else that lives and breathes. I just believe in a level or respect associated with all life. Wasn't that the whole point behind the first "Thanksgiving"? If we as a society viewed everyday as a "thanksgiving", things in our world would seem much more unique and alive.

This of course, is just my observation.