About once a week a co-worker of mine posts a video of someone doing something incredibly stupid in a national park. Often in Yellowstone and involving bison, moose and grizzly bears. These animals are not known for their polite conflict resolution skills. Instead, when faced with a problem, they often trample, trample, or mutilate the offender. While I don’t celebrate or condone the violent death of anyone, I believe burning the word You idiot on a headstone could have a deterrent effect.

The Instagram post above was created by the National Park Service. Even if you can’t read, you get the idea.

Understand that if an animal attacks you, it probably loses its own life. Even if he acted instinctively. Once a bear, moose or bison kills a park visitor, the animal is marked for euthanasia.

Keep in mind that parks are home to animals. You are just passing through. The whole idea of ​​setting aside land was and is a way to preserve an ecosystem and allow us to appreciate nature.

But you know all that. The overwhelming number of people reading this aren’t dummies. They avoid people who can’t follow the rules and hopefully if you spot a cheeky human jerk you report it to the rangers as soon as possible. It’s not snitching. It’s knocking bad actors out of the park. Much like a gravestone bearing an insult, a little time behind bars or a good fine should convince people that repeating the behavior isn’t worth it.