Woman Doesn’t Seem To Realize How Dangerous This Was

A video on social media has gone viral after a woman was seen walking across an Estes Park footbridge, literally passing by an elk within a mere foot or two.

As she passed by, the elk seemed to look at her with sort of a "Really? What are you doing?" kind of look.

Instagram user @goodbulloutdoors posted a video of the woman in Estes Park and explained in a caption that apparently the woman does not speak or read English, therefore didn't have any idea what the signs that warn against getting close to the wildlife meant.

It goes without saying that you should never, ever, ever, EVER get this close to the elk in Estes Park. Yes, they are gorgeous! And yes, they are super cool to look at. My young daughters love seeing them wandering around town when we go up to Estes Park. But even they know to stay at least 75 feet - or two school bus lengths - away from them, as recommended by the National Park Service.

These massive animals weigh between 500 and 700 pounds and could charge, headbutt or trample any humans that get too close - especially if they're protecting their babies nearby - and any injuries sustained would be quite serious or possibly even worse, meaning death.

Even if they don't come after you, technically approaching wildlife in this sort of way is illegal, and it doesn't matter the intent, even if you're just getting closer or a better angle to take a picture.

A good rule of thumb is if your being there captures the elk's attention, you are too close!