Despite warnings from the National Park Service, another tourist has been caught on camera getting too close to the wildlife and putting themselves and animals in danger.
A group of Yellowstone visitors were caught chasing an adolescent bear across a road. James Dean, a photographer, was able to record the incident. In the video, cinnamon-colored black bear appears to be pursued by at least three people.
Dean wrote, “Adolescent black bear crossed the river towards a crowd of tourons who were crowding the shore for photos.”
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Tourons of Yellowstone on Instagram shared the video. The account is dedicated to tourists who are caught on camera breaking the rules at National Parks in the United States. Unfortunately, tourists of Yellowstone National Park have provided an alarming amount of content to the platform, with recent incidents including bison harassment, elk being provoked and people charging at bears making gorilla noises.
The bear that was chased by tourists. (Source: James Dean + Tourons of Yellowstone)
There have been so many cases of wildlife harassers recently that the National Park Service published a warning to park visitors to stop for the safety of themselves and the animals.
“Approaching wild animals can drastically affect their well-being and, in some cases, their survival,” said the NPS. “When an animal is near a campsite, trail, boardwalk, parking lot, on a road, or in a developed area, leave it alone and give it space.”
If an animal feels threatened or becomes desensitized to people, encounters with animals are more likely. If an animal has multiple incidents with humans, it will more than likely be euthanized for the safety of the public. When visiting parks, please keep your distance from wildlife for not just your safety but their’s as well.
