Fed-Up Buffalo Shows Guy Why You Don't Get Close To Wild Animals

"He's obviously not from here."

On a recent visit to the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma last month, Danelia Zyks and her husband witnessed humanity at its dimmest.  

Looking on with astonishment from the distance, the couple observed a stranger inexplicably inching toward a massive buffalo, one of many inhabiting the 60,000-acre refuge. What the unidentified man was hoping to accomplish by getting so close to the wild, horned animal is impossible to say — but he did end up demonstrating why doing so is a very bad idea.

After briefly tolerating the intrusion into his personal space, no doubt in disbelief at the man's nerve, the buffalo made his well-deserved move. Zyks caught the moment in this video (which does contain some explicit language).

It's unclear if the man was hit by the buffalo's charge, but he was able to walk away without obvious injury — hopefully having learned a valuable lesson respecting wildlife. But what he did isn't just unwise, it's also probably illegal.

According to the Fish and Wildlife Service, which oversees the refuge, "harassing wildlife is prohibited," and for good reason. Getting too close can cause undue stress to wild animals, triggering responses that are potentially harmful to people or themselves. Unfortunately, not everyone has gotten the message.