A man at Yellowstone National Park has given a textbook demonstration of how not to use a telephoto camera lens around wildlife. Rather than staying well back and using a tripod to get a clear picture of an elk engaging in natural behavior, he approached within 5ft of a huge male in the middle of a road, and walked around snapping photos of its flanks and rump.
Although elk are naturally wary of humans and prefer to avoid contact, they are wild animals and can become aggressive if they feel threatened. Males (known as bulls) are particularly unpredictable during the rut, which takes place in late summer and early fall, when they compete for the right to mate.
