A group of Colorado men are being criticized on social media for their decision to stand idly by and do nothing as a giant elk attacked a woman near Estes Park.

Video footage of the stunning event shows a female bystander recording as an elk suddenly charges a crowd and forces everybody to flee. One woman fails to get away in time and drops to the ground and is then hassled by the elk.

Shocked at what she’s seeing, the female bystander with the camera hollers, “Somebody help!”

But nobody helps. Everybody just watches until the elk grows bored and meanders slightly away. The clip ends with a pickup truck pulling up next to the woman to scare the elk off further.

Watch:

Because the bystanders were mostly male — and because they just watched instead of taking action — they’re being attacked on social media for being cowards.

“Those men are cowards. They either stood and watched or ran away. Not one offered assistance to that woman. This is what’s wrong with our world, we don’t care about other humans,” one critic wrote.

“Are these the American men expected to fight the Russians or the Iranians???? A woman is fighting a large animal and those men are acting like it is not their problem? The USA is f***ed! What a shameful behavior of cowards!” another added.

Look (*Language warning):

Those men are cowards. They either stood and watched or ran away. Not one offered assistance to that woman. This is what’s wrong with our world, we don’t care about other humans. — The_Charming_Avenger (@Boeing74) September 27, 2019

Are these the American men expected to fight the Russians or the Iranians???? A woman is fighting a large animal and those men are acting like it is not their problem? The USA is fucked! What a shameful behavior of cowards! — rmarti (@DOWNWITHBORIS) September 28, 2019

Why are the men just standing -watching!!!!

Apparently chivalry is dead!!! — Mystic Body and Soul, Wellness (@mystic_and) September 28, 2019

The men in this video are embarrassing. ??‍♂️ — James Price (@priceisright68) September 28, 2019

In my society, men don’t run like this. They try to save the person being attacked like this even risking their own life — Asif Talal Adv (@AsifTalal13) September 28, 2019

My problem with this video is the men strolling along and watching and doing NOTHING to help this woman. — Lahaina Girl (@lahaina0girl) September 28, 2019

I CAN NOT BELIEVE NOT ONE OF THESE MEN HELPED HER!!! WHAT IS HAPPENING IN OUR WORLD???? — Masyn_Moyer (@MasynMoyer) September 28, 2019

Am I seeing right? Instead of trying to distract the animal so it would stop attacking the woman on the ground, these men are just… looking on? — André Dalpé (@ardalpe) September 27, 2019

By the looks of this video Chivalry is definitely dead & buried…All these men stand by as this poor woman is gored by the elk! — Arden Tweets (@ardenrain) September 27, 2019

“Home of the brave…..” such brave men all walking away watching the woman lying there. Like George running over children on Seinfeld when he thought there was a fire. #Cowards — ᑭᗩᑎᑕᗩKIE (@Pancakie) September 27, 2019

Why though did the men do nothing? Well, this is where things get complicated …

The first and most clear reason might be because of the risks entailed in trying to fight an elk that likely weighs close to 1,000 pounds.

After the incident occurred, a spokesperson with the Colorado Parks and Wildlife told ABC News that the elk are currently in their breeding season and thus prone to act “very aggressively.”

“People need to maintain a safe distance from elk, even if they are at a building/facility/golf course or whatever human dwelling,” the spokesperson said.

A second, less-obvious possible reason for the men’s behavior may be the growth of left-wing-styled feminism promoted by Hollywood and the media.

Is it not feminism that maligns strong men as “toxic?” Is it not feminism that demands men get in touch with their “inner femininity?” Is it not feminism that accuses men who challenge female political figures to a debate of being creeps, perverts and sexual abusers? Is it not feminism that says men and women are equal (except in certain cases where women are more equal)?

Given the current anti-male climate, is it truly shocking therefore that some men either lack the cajones to take on a bull or simply don’t care to put their lives on the line for a woman anymore?

According to some social media users, no, it’s not surprising at all:

Because they didn’t want to be seen as mansplaining, or as usurping women’s chances to be their own heroes instead of having a man come in at the last second to grab all the glory. Bravo to those men who showed enormous woke restraint — Ralph deMouthe (@RalphdeMouthe) September 28, 2019

Leftist women (to use the term loosely) harp and shriek at men for being too “masculine”. Then, when men are less masculine, these same harpies whine about men not being masculine enough. If a man had punched that moose, you would be whining about “toxic masculinity”. ? — Cranky Yank (@TheCrankyYank) September 28, 2019

I read a lot of comments about the “hero” men who didn’t do anything. What about the woman filming from her car? Should she not have used her horn to try to distract the elk? Or does she get a pass b/c she was filming. I thought we are about equality now. — Dave Brede (@DaveBrede1) September 28, 2019

And the last reason — the one presumed by critics to be the reason — might be because these men really are spineless cowards, i.e., the type too scared to stand up for themselves, let alone anybody else. The veritable Mitt Romneys of the world, if you will.