Whoever is running the social media account for the National Park Service is having fun.
For Thanksgiving, they made fun of the Idaho man who tried to cook a chicken over Old Faithful (or whatever thermal feature it was).
A few months ago, they advised not tripping your friend if a bear starts running after you. They say there are better solutions. (We say, don’t knock it until you try it).
And now, just in time for Christmas, they are using a festive gingerbread person to remind people that selfies with wild animals is really a dumb idea.
We all remember the biker from Iowa who jumped off her motorcycle in Custer State Park to pet a bison and ended up losing her pants.
The National Park Service is reenacting that special moment on Facebook with not only a gender-neutral gingerbread person but three charging Gingerbread bison.
No pants are involved in the re-creation. One might assume that this amount of detail is not necessary to get the point across.
We just like the photo but they have some good tips to accompany it (in case you don’t know that taking selfies with wild animals is stupid).
— Wildlife may appear calm and docile but can be unpredictable and easily startled. Really? You wore the hat with the giant pom pom? Remember to use a zoom lens on your camera. If you are close enough to take a selfie, you may lose more than your gumdrop buttons.
— We get it—national parks have some photogenic scenery, but do not put your life at risk for a picture. Stick to trails and boardwalks. Use caution, watch your step, and keep your eyes on the trail and not on your camera while walking. Oh, snap! That branch came out of nowhere! No it didn’t.
— If a photo opportunity catches your eye while driving, pull over to a safe location to capture the shot. Distracted driving puts you and others at risk. Remember to look both ways for oncoming traffic before crossing the road.
By the way, you know how you hear those disclaimers at the end of shows that “no animals were hurt during the filming of the presentation”?
Just the opposite on this post.
“P.S. Many cookies were harmed in the making of this post. Like really bad. So many crumbs.”
HA! Nicely done, National Park Service. Nicely done.
