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At Yellowstone, people approaching elk calves get attacked by their mothers

by www.sfgate.com

Cleve R. Wootson Jr., The Washington Post

Published 10:29 am, Wednesday, June 6, 2018

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FILE – In this Aug. 3, 2016 file photo, tourists take photos of elk outside the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel in Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. The superintendent of Yellowstone says he expects visitor numbers to continue to grow, but that he’s gotten better at managing the crowds. The Cody Enterprise reports that the park is coming off two straight years of record attendance and Superintendent Dan Wenk does not believe it has peaked yet. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)

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FILE – In this Aug. 3, 2016 file photo, tourists take photos of elk outside the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel in Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. The superintendent of Yellowstone says he expects visitor numbers to

… more

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In this Aug. 3, 2016 photo, Yellowstone National Park tourist John Gleason moves in on a large bull elk as two of his children and two children of friends follow the Walla Walla, Washington man. The animal ran away as the group got closer. Park officials say visitors getting too close to wildlife can create dangerous situations and has been on the rise as visitor numbers hit record levels. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown) less
In this Aug. 3, 2016 photo, Yellowstone National Park tourist John Gleason moves in on a large bull elk as two of his children and two children of friends follow the Walla Walla, Washington man. The animal ran … more

Photo: Matthew Brown

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In this Aug. 3, 2016 photo, a large bison blocks traffic in the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone National Park as tourists take photos of the animal. Record visitor numbers at the nation’s first national park have transformed its annual summer rush into a sometimes dangerous frenzy, with selfie-taking tourists routinely breaking park rules and getting too close to Yellowstone’s storied elk herds, grizzly bears, wolves and bison. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown) less
In this Aug. 3, 2016 photo, a large bison blocks traffic in the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone National Park as tourists take photos of the animal. Record visitor numbers at the nation’s first national park have … more

Photo: Matthew Brown, STF

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Tourists in Rome took a plunge in a historic monument, prompting outrage from many locals. The trio of unidentified girls were seen frolicking in Rome’s historic Fontana dell’Acqua Paola, or The Big Fountain, on Janiculum Hill.

 The fountain was built in 1612 after Pope Paul V decided to rebuild and extend an ancient aqueduct created as a source for clean drinking water.

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Tourists in Rome took a plunge in a historic monument, prompting outrage from many locals. The trio of unidentified girls were seen frolicking in Rome’s historic Fontana dell’Acqua Paola, or The Big Fountain, … more

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Two tourists at Yellowstone National Park picked up a baby bison and put it in their car because they thought it was cold.

A woman visiting the park reported seeing a man and his son drive up to a park ranger with the animal in the car. She said they appeared “seriously worried the calf was freezing and dying” — never mind the fact that bison herds have roamed the western states for thousands of years. 
The baby had to be euthanized because park officials could not get its mother to accept it again.

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Two tourists at Yellowstone National Park picked up a baby bison and put it in their car because they thought it was cold.

A woman visiting the park reported seeing a man and his son drive up to a park ranger

… more

Photo: Matthew Brown, Associated Press

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Yellowstone seems to be a hot spot for silly (and potentially dangerous) tourist behavior.

Just days after the bison calf incident, three members of High on Life SundayFundayz, a group known for documenting its travels on a popular YouTube channel, stepped off the boardwalk and posed for pictures with the park’s well-known Grand Prismatic Spring. Some members also reportedly touched the water, which can reach the boiling point.

The group apologized and offered to donate up to $5,000 to the park.

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Yellowstone seems to be a hot spot for silly (and potentially dangerous) tourist behavior.

Just days after the bison calf incident, three members of High on Life SundayFundayz, a group known for documenting its

… more

Photo: AP

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Why do people feel the need to leave their mark on ancient tombs and temples? In May 2013, a Chinese teenager was attacked on social media after he etched his name into the Luxor, a 3500-year Egyptian temple.

His mother told a local paper they were sorry for his actions.

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Why do people feel the need to leave their mark on ancient tombs and temples? In May 2013, a Chinese teenager was attacked on social media after he etched his name into the Luxor, a 3500-year Egyptian … more

Photo: Reddit

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More in national park fails:

In 2014, Instagram artist Casey Nocket was banned from all national parks over a probation period after authorities found her Instagram handle graffiti’ed in seven different national parks. 
Nocket plead guilty to seven misdemeanor counts of damaging government property.

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More in national park fails:

In 2014, Instagram artist Casey Nocket was banned from all national parks over a probation period after authorities found her Instagram handle graffiti’ed in seven different national

… more

Photo: HONS

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Another priceless monument ruined in the name of selfies: In May 2015, the Daily Mail reported that two tourists climbed up a marble statue of Hercules at the the Loggia dei Militi palace in Cremona, Italy to take a photo. The weight of the men apparently caused the hero’s crown to drop to the ground and shatter. The beloved symbol of the ancient city dates back to the 1700s. less
Another priceless monument ruined in the name of selfies: In May 2015, the Daily Mail reported that two tourists climbed up a marble statue of Hercules at the the Loggia dei Militi palace in Cremona, Italy to … more

Photo: Daily Mail/Twitter

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In a stunt that took an unimaginable amount of chutzpah, a German teenager scrambled up the Great Pyramid of Giza in broad daylight in January 2016. Andrej Ciesielski got to the top in only eight minutes and immediately started filming his view.

Egyptian authorities quickly noticed and forced him to delete the photos. The sneaky teen had software to back up the deleted images and posted the video on YouTube. The authorities declined to press charges.

Not that we condone taking selfies atop one of the Seven Wonders of the World, but at least no one was hurt and no precious artifact was destroyed in this case. Good job, kid.

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In a stunt that took an unimaginable amount of chutzpah, a German teenager scrambled up the Great Pyramid of Giza in broad daylight in January 2016. Andrej Ciesielski got to the top in only eight minutes and … more

Photo: Youtube/Andrejcie

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In some cases, the pursuit of the perfect selfie results in the death of innocent animals. 

In February 2016, the New York Daily News released a video of an Argentinian beach tourist pulling a young Franciscana dolphin from the water and snapping photos with it. A crowd quickly gathered, and more people began taking photos and prodding the helpless animal. 
The dolphin died, likely due to overheating, but people continued to take photos with its corpse before throwing it back onto the beach. No selfie is worth a life, people.

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In some cases, the pursuit of the perfect selfie results in the death of innocent animals. 

In February 2016, the New York Daily News released a video of an Argentinian beach tourist pulling a young Franciscana

… more

Photo: Nick Ut, AP

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In more recent news

, a baby dolphin died in Aug of 2017 after “hundreds” of beachgoers in southern Spain surrounded the animal to touch and take pictures with it.

Some of the more eager ones of the mob ended up covering the dolphin’s spiracle, the blowhole it uses to breathe.
Unfortunately, by the time rescuers arrived at the beach, the dolphin had died.

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In more recent news

, a baby dolphin died in Aug of 2017 after “hundreds” of beachgoers in southern Spain surrounded the animal to touch and take pictures with it.

Some of the more eager ones of the mob ended up

… more

Photo: Randy Straka/Princess Monterey Whale Watch

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Unfortunately, the dolphin wasn’t the first animal killed in pursuit of the perfect selfie.

A mob of tourists rushed a Costa Rican beach in September 2015 to take photos with thousands of female olive ridley turtles laying their eggs at the Ostional Wildlife Refuge. Some tourists even put their children on the turtles’ backs to capture that perfect shot. Others stepped carelessly over nests.

The Environment Ministry’s Workers Union (SITRAMINAE) wrote on its Facebook page that “appropriate measures were not taken to control the tourism that hampered the natural process” and conducted an investigation. less

Unfortunately, the dolphin wasn’t the first animal killed in pursuit of the perfect selfie.

A mob of tourists rushed a Costa Rican beach in September 2015 to take photos with thousands of female olive ridley … more

Photo: Geografia CR

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Celebrities are their own special class of bad tourist.

In May 2016, actress and singer Vanessa Hudgens of “High School Musical” fame was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine for carving a heart into a rock wall in Sedona, Arizona. In February, she posted an Instagram photo of the illegal artwork, which bore her name and that of her boyfriend.
For regular folks, damaging a natural feature is a misdemeanor and can result in six months in jail or up to a $5,000 fine.

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Celebrities are their own special class of bad tourist.

In May 2016, actress and singer Vanessa Hudgens of “High School Musical” fame was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine for carving a heart into a rock wall in

… more

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Oh, Justin Bieber.

The pop idol is no stranger to questionable remarks and bad behavior, and he landed himself in some trouble after a 2013 visit to the Anne Frank House museum in Amsterdam. He wrote an entry in the museum’s guestbook saying he thought Frank, who died in a Nazi concentration camp, “would have been a Belieber” if history had turned out differently. One could assume Frank would have liked many things to turn out differently, probably the least of which would have been having an opportunity to hear Beiber’s tunes.

Many were outraged, but the museum’s spokeswoman said they were happy to have him visit and didn’t see anything wrong with his comment.

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Oh, Justin Bieber.

The pop idol is no stranger to questionable remarks and bad behavior, and he landed himself in some trouble after a 2013 visit to the Anne Frank House museum in Amsterdam. He wrote an entry … more

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The world’s most beautiful beaches are fragile and delicate ecosystems, and they can be easily overwhelmed by an influx of eager tourists.

Thai authorities announced they were closing the entire Koh Tachai island in the Similan Islands National Park to tourists starting October 15, 2016. The island became a popular destination because of its paradise-like beauty, but the overcrowding was starting to take a toll on its environment.

An official said the closure will hopefully stave off the damage before it is “beyond repair.”

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The world’s most beautiful beaches are fragile and delicate ecosystems, and they can be easily overwhelmed by an influx of eager tourists.

Thai authorities announced they were closing the entire Koh Tachai … more

Photo: Danita Delimont, Getty Images

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Sometimes it’s not the tourists causing all trouble — it’s the locals.

One Canadian tourist had an unfortunate encounter with a man in New York’s Times Square offering free hugs. She gave Jermaine Himmelstein a hug and posed for a photo, but then didn’t leave a tip. He allegedly punched her in the face and ran off, leaving the bewildered victim with a black eye, cuts and bruises. Himmelstein was arrested shortly after the incident on robbery and fraudulent accosting charges. 

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Sometimes it’s not the tourists causing all trouble — it’s the locals.

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Photo: Sylvain Sonnet, Getty Images

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Tourists visiting Fremont Street in Las Vegas got a rather unpleasant surprise when a 15-year-old boy flying down the Slotzilla zip line also decided to take a pee.

As he zipped down the crowded street, he urinated on the tourists below, likely ruining many people’s evenings in the grossest way possible. The boy’s parents apologized but did not reveal whether the incident was a terrible prank or an unfortunate accident. 

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Tourists visiting Fremont Street in Las Vegas got a rather unpleasant surprise when a 15-year-old boy flying down the Slotzilla zip line also decided to take a pee.

As he zipped down the crowded street, he

… more

Photo: Brian Jones, Las Vegas News Bureau

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One woman took things to a whole new level when she sued a Houston-based Segway tour company for $1 million after she fell off her Segway. 

The lawsuit states the woman and her husband purchased a guided Segway tour of the area but that the guide “abandoned the tour group” at some point. As she and her husband were rolling along, the lawsuit says, she clipped a pylon in a pathway and fell face-first on the ground, suffering “three broken teeth, swollen lips, cheek injuries, a damaged jaw, and injuries to her spinal column.”

Ouch.

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One woman took things to a whole new level when she sued a Houston-based Segway tour company for $1 million after she fell off her Segway. 

The lawsuit states the woman and her husband purchased a guided … more

Photo: Bob Owen, Staff / San Antonio Express-News

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To say that people were excited about the easing of the Cuban travel ban earlier this year would be a huge understatement. People were so excited that a record number of U.S. citizens — 161,000 in 2015 — flocked to the island nation. They also drank all its beer.

In April 2016 the Costa Rica Star reported that Cuba’s main beer manufacturer, Bucanero, was having trouble keeping up with demand from visiting tourists. Reuters reported that the shortage was so dire that the company will have to build a new plant in Cuba. Drink up! less

To say that people were excited about the easing of the Cuban travel ban earlier this year would be a huge understatement. People were so excited that a record number of U.S. citizens — 161,000 in 2015 — … more

Photo: Desmond Boylan, STR / Associated Press

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You can’t blame tourists for getting lost in a new place, and usually they can use their handy smartphone to get themselves back on the right track. Not so if they’re trying to find Mount Rushmore.

For the past five years, a glitch in Google Maps’ GPS technology has led tourists astray when hoping to see the grand monument. Instead, wayward sightseers are led to the Storm Mountain Center, 13 miles away from the monument. A slow week will misguide two or three lost travelers, but sometimes multiple carloads of tourists become hopelessly lost. Storm Mountain officials have installed a sign at the head of the camp’s driveway that reads, “Your GPS is WRONG. This is NOT Mt. Rushmore. Go back to HWY 16. Take a right. Follow signs to Keystone.” less

You can’t blame tourists for getting lost in a new place, and usually they can use their handy smartphone to get themselves back on the right track. Not so if they’re trying to find Mount Rushmore.

For the past … more

Photo: / Associated Press

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In the spring of 2017, two daredevils from Wisconsin climbed to the top of the Golden Gate Bridge—in about ten minutes.

High school senior Peter Teatime and his partner, Tommy Rector, said they timed their escapade for when traffic was at its lightest. They breached bridge security at 3 a.m. and started climbing.
The stunt caused concern with Golden Gate Bridge officials. The two men could face jail time and a $10,000 fine.
“We’re concerned that they could have fallen into traffic, harming not only themselves but also motorists,” Capt. Lisa Locati of the Golden Gate Bridge Patrol said.

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In the spring of 2017, two daredevils from Wisconsin climbed to the top of the Golden Gate Bridge—in about ten minutes.

High school senior Peter Teatime and his partner, Tommy Rector, said they timed their

… more

Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

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The kicker goes to a woman in Los Angeles who, in pursuit of an ‘art selfie,’ destroyed $200,000 worth of art.

The woman crouched down to take a selfie, fell backwards, and knocked over the display pillar behind her, triggering an almost unbelievable domino effect.

Some are questioning whether the incident was a stunt.

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The kicker goes to a woman in Los Angeles who, in pursuit of an ‘art selfie,’ destroyed $200,000 worth of art.

The woman crouched down to take a selfie, fell backwards, and knocked over the display pillar behind

… more

Photo: 14th Factory

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At Yellowstone, people approaching elk calves get attacked by their mothers
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If the elk of Yellowstone National Park had a spokeswoman, she would be working overtime trying to set the record straight about elk-human interactions: Despite the headlines, the average elk has a lot more to fear from the average human.

There are, after all, myriad websites with details on how to kill the mostly docile woodland creatures with arrows and guns, strip the muscle from their bones, or purchase literal buckets of their antlers. There are also parts of the internet dedicated to sharing pictures of people posing with elk corpses.

But days at Yellowstone National Park have begun to resemble an episode of “When Animals Attack!”

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Twice in three days, cow elk – females of the elk species – have attacked people at the popular national park, using strong legs and sharp hoofs to send unsuspecting humans to the hospital.

The reason for the sudden aggression: Babies.

It is calving season at Yellowstone, and elk mothers are fiercely protective of their newborns, as two women learned too late.

On Sunday, Charlene Triplett, a 51-year-old who works at the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel on park property, was attacked.

The elk was defending a calf that was roughly 20 feet away, hidden behind some cars, park rangers say. It’s unclear whether Triplett even saw the calf before she was approached by the elk.

“The elk reportedly reared up and kicked Ms. Triplett multiple times with its front legs, hitting her head, torso, and back,” the National Park Service said in a statement Monday.

Triplett’s injuries were severe, and she had to be flown to the trauma center at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.

Park rangers meanwhile stayed in the area, warning other unsuspecting visitors about the elk and her calf. No one was cited, but the park warned people to stay 25 yards from the animals.

Apparently, not everyone got the word in time.

On Tuesday, Penny Allyson Behr, a 53-year-old from Cypress, Texas, was walking between two cabins “when she was surprised by an elk bedded along the cabin wall with a calf nearby,” rangers said in a news release posted Wednesday.

And its approach wasn’t just a threatening feint. The elk “pursued and struck her with its legs in the head and torso,” the National Park Service said.

Park officials said they don’t know whether the same elk and the same calf are involved in each case.

What is clear is that the elk, while mostly non-aggressive herbivores, are big, powerful and capable of inflicting damage. There are as many as 20,000 elk in Yellowstone, which stretches over nearly 3,500 square miles. The animals live in six or seven herds. Males can be more than 700 pounds and eight feet long; females can be 500 pounds and nearly seven feet long.

And a quarter-ton of mother elk can be particularly aggressive in defense of their young, while males can become unpredictable, even hostile, during mating season, instances that make headlines and result in dramatic videos.

Those and other incidents share common threads.

The elk were mostly minding their own business; the people got too close.

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