A group of visitors to the Grand Canyon sparked ire when they were filmed getting up close and personal with a grazing elk.

The video of them, titled "Tourons at the Grand Canyon," amassed nearly 1,400 likes and featured over three minutes of people edging in on the elk. The Tourons of National Parks account (@touronsofnationalparks) — taking its name from a combination of the words "tourist" and "moron" — shared the video in order to demonstrate what not to do when coming face to face with wildlife.

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Commenters agreed.

"Let the animal eat in peace," one said.

"Good Grief. Have these people never seen an animal before?" another lamented. "Ridiculous behavior."

Many of the tourons in the video can be seen filming and snapping photos of the elk — a common behavior that's resulted in far too many close wildlife encounters.

"Back. Off," one commenter emphasized. "Your camera has a zoom. Use it."

Another person said wryly, "I can't believe all these professional wildlife photographers were all in one place at the same time."

Unfortunately, not only do interactions like these cause stress and discomfort for the animals, but they can actually be deadly — on both sides.

"I was waiting for them to get stomped," one person said.

Do you think people should be allowed to keep exotic animals as pets? Yes 👍 No 👎 It depends on the animal 🐍 It depends on the person 🤓 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

But more often, it's the animal that ends up worse off. Even if an animal attack is provoked, that animal will still be euthanized. And frequently, animals are prematurely euthanized — even before any attacks are made — if they simply become too accustomed to human interaction and proximity.

That was the case with a mother bear and her two cubs, who were killed in upstate New York after becoming accustomed to snatching human food at a campsite. And heartbreakingly, it was the case with a baby bison calf, which was killed after a human man tried to drag it to so-called "safety" after watching it and thinking it was lost.

Instead, whether you're snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef or passing through the Grand Canyon, the best way to observe animals is always from a safe distance. That leaves the ecosystem healthy and functioning, which ensures that it will be there for future generations to visit too.

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