Yellowstone National Park - Wildlife Safety Videos (U.S. National Park Service)

Park regulations state that visitors must stay more than 100 yards away from bears and wolves and 25 yards away from other wildlife. Many visitors see large wild animals that seem tame and therefore approach far closer than they should. These videos are intended to convince everyone that it is unwise to approach wild animals even if they seem tame.

Image of bison charging around a tree with people behind it.

Man is Gored by Bison
© Held by Unknown Videographer

This video shows a man near the West Thumb Geyser Basin who approached far too close to a bull bison. When bison charge they can move faster than the fastest Olympic runner. This bison caught up with his quarry very quickly.

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Elk Rams Cars in Mammoth
© Paul Chalfant

A Mammoth Hot Springs resident and National Park Service employee, Paul Chalfant, shot the video of a bull elk ramming several vehicles when they stopped too close to the bull's harem. Paul was shooting from his porch and often retreated to the safety of his house. What follows is the text transcript of the audio with a brief description of the associated video.

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Bison at Old Faithful
Video used with permission. Copyright retained by the videographer.

The video clip was shot by two different visitors. The first portion was shot by one of the visitors being chased. He is with a half-dozen other visitors who were taking refuge behind a group of pine trees. The second part was shot by a visitor observing from a distance who was standing on the benches near Old Faithful Geyser.

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Bison at Old Faithful
Video used with permission. Copyright retained by the videographer.

In this video a group of visitors with children approach a bison too closely. He charges and tosses one of the visitors into some shrubbery and then corners him behind a tree.

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Elk Safety Video
Video used with permission. Copyright retained by the videographers.

This safety video was produced to show in our visitor centers. It depicts several examples of what not to do while viewing elk during the fall rut. Please watch elk from a safe distance of at least 25 yards, and obey the directions of park rangers and volunteers.

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