A woman has sparked outrage after she was caught on camera doing what has been described as stupid and foolish.
The woman casually walks up to the wild animal
The woman was caught on camera foolishly and thoughtlessly petting a wild bison .
The tourist was spotted at Yellowstone Park in Wyoming, USA, by shocked onlookers who took out their cameras to record the incident.
In the clip, a fellow sightseer is heard saying: "Is she stupid?" as they watch the woman approach the animals.
Unbelievably, she then reaches out to pet the bison as it lies on the grass at the side of the road.
She remains there for several seconds before walking off and rejoining her group.
The woman pets the animal even though visitors at the park are told to keep a minimum of 25 yards away from wildlife
Officials told KRTV they are still investigating the incident.
Yellowstone spokeswoman Amy Bartlett said: "When you harass wildlife, you could face a citation or a mandatory appearance in front of a federal magistrate."
She said the park requires visitors keep a minimum 25 yard distance from wildlife.
"We don't restrict animal movements in the parks," Amy said. "You still need to keep the minimum distance."
"This woman is extremely lucky," she continued. "We can't explain why he didn't get up. His tolerance level hasn't been tested in quite a few months."
Watch the video below: