Ignazio Zanin used bear spray twice during a Yellowstone wolf approaching hiker video after a young collared black wolf followed him on Sunday morning, August 23. The first-time Yellowstone tourist from Texas was on the first full day of a 5-day vacation when the animal moved in close on a solo hike.
Zanin said he arrived from Texas the night before and bought bear spray at the Bozeman airport. He later told Outdoor Life, "I hear someone, or something, running at me so I turn back and the wolf was there" and "When I turned back, he stopped. Then he started following me."
Yellowstone National Park wolf video
About 20 people were in the parking lot overlooking Lamar Valley, and at least three started recording when the wolf appeared. Deric Smith, on a one-week family vacation from Missouri, filmed the encounter on his cell phone attached to a rented scope mounted on a tripod. He said, "I wanted to see wolves and bears in Lamar Valley" and later realized the animal was a wolf, not a loose dog.
Smith said, "I thought it was a dog and someone had let their dog loose" and, after seeing the collar, "I was upset and thinking people are stupid." Zanin said he asked other people on the trail if a wolf this close was normal, and they told him they thought it was his dog. "It was not my dog. It was a wild animal," he said.
Bear spray twice at wolf
The wolf walked close behind Zanin and sometimes next to him. He said he had only water and an umbrella in his pack, and Smith said, "The wolf would not leave him alone." The first burst of bear spray made the wolf back off a bit but did not make it leave; the second spray produced no reaction.
Zanin said, "The ranger used a megaphone to warn everyone" and that he heard only the word "wolf." He added, "Yeah, it’s like five feet from me. What can I do?" After walking a large loop, he returned to the lot and met Smith, park rangers, and a crowd of wolf watchers.
Lamar Valley park review
Staff watched Smith's video and decided Zanin had acted appropriately when approached by the wolf. That leaves a narrow but useful rule for hikers in the park: keep moving toward other people, keep distance if you can, and do not assume a collared animal will behave like a pet just because it is close to a trail.
Why the wolf kept following Zanin after two bear spray blasts is not explained, but the video shows how fast a routine wildlife sighting can turn into a close encounter when an animal does not break off after a warning. Zanin had gone to Yellowstone National Park to see wildlife free, and he got that, along with a moment that drew rangers, bystanders, and a viral recording.
