On my recent trip to the Kruger National Park, and on our way out of the park for the day, we came across this bunch casually on walk about. By the time I drove up to them, the girl on the right has actually walked across the road so her friend could take a picture of her. At no time can anyone leave their vehicles, except at designated spots, and of course at the main camps. When I approached her and told her so, she just shrugged her shoulders and said that she wont be long. From her accent I just knew where she was from. It was a hired car, so unfortunately I cant take it further. Is doesnt take long for a wild animal to attack, especially when she had her back to the african bush.
This image is unedited.
I find the complete obliviousness of some people shocking sometimes. About 15 years ago I was in the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park - it was mid October and the elk were fully in the rut. Driving down the road one morning we spotted a huge bull moose bedded down in the trees about 25 meters off of the road. We sat for a while in the vehicle, cameras at the ready, just observing. A short time later a middle-aged couple pulled up behind us and promptly hopped out of their car with their point-and-shoot camera and started tromping off the road so that they could get a photo with the moose! They totally ignored our request to stay clear. I guess at some point they thought better after the warning and snapped their shot from a distance before retreating, but I honestly thought I might see someone die that day...
It is amazing how ignorant someone can be, isn't it? You wouldn't catch me getting out of the car on the road with the African outback 5 feet away. Yikes...that's just a messy story waiting to happen. :confused:
I've witnessed similar instances in YNP. In mid Oct., I saw a woman with a P&S camera walk to within 10' of a black bear. I also witnessed a group of people approach to within 5' of a herd of bull elk. Everyone had a P&S camera with a flash that was firing because it was nearly dark. Dumb, dumb, dumb. Frankly, after being rudely rebuffed many times when I warn people that they are too close, I just watch with my camera ready to take images that I maybe could sell to the local newspapers.
Unfortunately, this idiotic behavior is causing the park rangers to be much more strict when they see people getting too close to wildlife. Rangers are totally intolerant of this behavior to the detriment of those who respect the wildlife & observe the minimum distance rules. Now, they will frequently unnecessarily roust people just in the vicinity of wildlife with any type of camera.
Stuart, this pretty much answers my question I had in your other thread in Avian. People don't understand the concept of rules and then wonder what happened when something does!!