A woman has been spotted endangering her young child at Estes Park, Colorado, by leading the youngster right up to a napping bull elk. The tourist is so preoccupied with trying to photograph the snoozing animal, she seems unaware of the risk to her youngster, who crouches on the ground about two feet from the powerful animal.
Estes Park is a picturesque town that often serves as a base for people visiting nearby Rocky Mountain National Park , and is well known for its population of elk. Around 2,400 of the animals were estimated to be living in the Estes valley in 2020, and they are a common sight year round.
The animals roam freely, occasionally straying into local businesses like hunting stores and gift shops. Residents know to give them plenty of space and call for expert help to guide them out of harm’s way, but visitors aren’t always as cautious.
A video of the careless photographer and her daughter (which you can see below) was shared this week via Instagram account TouronsOfNationalParks , which calls out bad behavior at sites of natural beauty around the world, often including wildlife.