A man narrowly avoided danger after approaching a pack of wolves in Yellowstone National Park, in footage that left onlookers both alarmed and incredulous.
The video, captured by fellow park visitors on Oct. 6, shows a man wearing a white scarf walking across an open field toward a group of five black wolves. Spectators in the background can be heard expressing concern.
“This could end very badly for that guy,” one person said as the man continued toward the animals.
At first, the man appeared to retreat, but when the wolves approached and began surrounding him, he advanced again, coming within feet of several of them while waving something in his hand. Observers shouted warnings from a nearby ridgeline. At one point, the man appeared to deploy bear spray, yet the wolves seemed undeterred.
The encounter ended when the animals moved into a ravine, with only their black tails and ruffs visible over the hill. Onlookers expressed relief—but also disbelief—at the man’s reckless behavior.
“He’s in mortal danger,” one bystander commented. Another added, half-jokingly, “Hopefully, they didn’t get him. Well, should I say that out loud? That I wouldn’t really care if they did?”
The man was later seen returning from the field, behaving erratically, which led some viewers to speculate that he might have been under the influence of a substance.
National park regulations strictly prohibit approaching wildlife within 100 yards, especially dangerous predators like wolves, bears, and mountain lions. Despite this, incidents of visitors ignoring these rules occur each year, though wolf attacks remain extremely rare. The last recorded fatal wolf attack in the U.S. was in Alaska in 2010.
Yellowstone wildlife guide Evan Stout told SFGATE that the man was likely never in serious danger. The wolves involved appeared to be pups born earlier this year, encountering a human for the first time.
“They were curious,” Stout said. “It was probably their first-ever interaction with a human.”