Contrary to what you’ve heard, alcohol and close wildlife encounters do mix. They just don’t mix particularly well for the people involved. The latest example comes from an Instagram post by touronsofyellowstone, in which a couple of dudes, who appear to be seriously hammered, confront a moose at night under the lights of a snowy parking lot in what appears to be a resort. A third man films the encounter. All parties other than the moose engage in the liberal application of profanity.
The guy filming—who also roots openly for the moose—tells the men to leave the $@&#%$@ moose alone. This prompts one of the drunk dudes to quip, “Is it your moose?” It’s not, but the camera man points out that it is a wild animal. “You guys must be the dumbest people I’ve seen in my life,” he observes.
(Warning: This video is packed with profanity.)
The two guys then set about proving him right. “I’m getting closer!” one says as both move towards the moose. The moose doesn’t move. Maybe it’s wondering just how stupid these guys are. It doesn’t have to wait long to find out.
“Little closer!” the guys each say in turn, taunting the camera man. The idea of approaching the critter seems hilarious to them.
One of them finally touches the moose. And—surprise!—the moose reacts as moose will when threatened, charging the dude. The parking lot is icy, so there’s that cartoon moment when the legs of the guy who just touched the moose are spinning but he’s running in place. For me, this is the highlight of the clip. The guy promptly loses his balance, falls, and the moose goes for him. All the while, the cameraman roots for the moose, saying, “Get him! Get him! Get him!”
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Both moose and men disappear behind a car before we can learn the outcome. So we miss the details of the confrontation. But there’s little doubt about which side wins. We’ll take the high road here and hope no one was seriously injured—just enough to leave the next $@&#%$@ moose alone.
One Instagram commenter, who goes by djjordykay, summed up the whole encounter nicely. “I’ve never rooted for a moose harder in my life.”
