It’s wild that some people are this oblivious and idiotic when they visit the great outdoors.
This infuriating footage below is out of Rocky Mountain National Park. It’s estimated that over 280,000 elk live in Colorado, which is enough to give the state the honor of housing the largest concentrated population of elk in the world. That type of population brings in tourists from all over the planet, and one of the more popular places you’ll find elk and tourists sharing space is near Rocky Mountain National Park.
Though it should be common sense to keep your pet on a leash when in an area with wild animals, some people just can’t wrap their head around the idea. And most of the time, you’d be doing so for the safety of your own dog… but that’s not exactly how this situation played out in Rocky Mountain National Park.
A quick visit to the national park’s website reveals that pets are prohibited from all Rocky Mountain National Park trails, tundra, and meadows. And if you do have your dog, it is supposed to be kept on a leash (no longer than 6 feet) at all times. Pets are supposed to stay on established roads, campgrounds, and parking and picnic areas. All these rules are laid out because Rocky Mountain National Park is “a designated natural area, and its purpose is to preserve and protect the park’s natural conditions, scenic beauty, and wildlife.”
In other words, it’s not a place where you bring your dog to play fetch.
That’s especially the case if wild animals are in the vicinity… but this guy that’s having a spotlight put on him thanks to “Tourons of National Parks” didn’t get that memo. Whatever memo he got apparently told him to put his own dog in danger by throwing a ball for the canine to retrieve right in the middle of a grazing elk herd.
It’s one of the wildest displays of stupidity to ever come out of Rocky Mountain National Park (in my opinion). Not only is this guy breaking almost every pet rule in place at the national park, he’s taking it up a notch and playing fetch in a way that’s endangering his dog. The person who captured the video says that the pet owner kept throwing the ball near the elk over and over:
“Rocky Mountain National Park on the tundra. This guy was throwing a ball into a herd of elk for his dog to get. Felt sorry for the dog and the elk. The guy was a total a** harassing the elk using his dog. The guy repeatedly did it over and over.”
I could go on and on about why national park guests shouldn’t play fetch with their dogs in the middle of an elk herd (disruption of native animals or natural ecosystem, could chase a wild animal and become lost), but the main rule that every pet owner should instinctively follow is… you can’t put your dog in harm’s way.
This guy was delighting in doing so, and I hope he somehow learns his lesson for playing fetch in the middle of an elk herd.
