A well-known grizzly bear and her two cubs in Yellowstone National Park became the unfortunate targets of a drone pilot’s reckless behavior, leaving nearby tourists outraged.
During a visit to the park on May 14, Idaho Falls resident Don Johnson was filming the bear family near Grizzly Lake, located in the park’s northeast corner close to Mammoth Hot Springs. To his surprise, his footage captured a drone hovering perilously close to the bears, so near that the mother bear could have easily swatted it from the sky, as reported by the Cowboy State Daily.
The mother bear in question, known as Beryl, is one of the park’s most renowned grizzlies.
Johnson admitted he was unaware of the drone’s presence until after he had stopped filming, at which point he heard a park ranger shouting about the unauthorized drone activity.
The incident quickly attracted a crowd of onlookers, all of whom were incensed by the distressing scene.
“Everyone was furious. If they had caught the person responsible, there would have been serious consequences,” Johnson remarked.
“It should be illegal, and there should be a huge fine for doing it,” he said.
Fortunately, there is, but the drone-piloting creep who took it upon himself to badger the majestic creatures on their home turf slithered away before authorities could catch up with him at the landmark park, which stretches from Wyoming to Montana and Idaho.
Piloting drones anywhere within any national park including Yellowstone is a crime punishable by up to six months in jail and/or a $5,000 fine.
Johnson shared his video to Facebook, where it quickly racked up tens of thousands of views and comments, which he characterized as “universally angry,” the outlet said.
“You got some people wanting to ban the tourists, but most people didn’t say much except that they hope [the drone operator gets] caught,” he said.
Some commenters said they hope publicity about the incident would lead to the culprit being identified.
Cowboy State Daily said the mama bear and her cubs seem to have been largely unaffected by the incident and have resumed roaming the park to the delight of the more considerate visitors.
