The National Park Service reported that over 330 million visits were made to our national parks in 2024, with people flocking to them for their stunning beauty and the animals and plants found there.
However, not all visitors were respectful, as demonstrated by a recent post on the TouronsOfYellowstone (@touronsofyellowstone) Instagram page, where a bystander called out a fellow tourist for taking off with a huge set of elk antlers.
In the post, the offending tourist is pictured loading the antlers into the trunk of their car. The bystander reported that they tried to reason with the tourist but had no luck, leaving them no choice but to take further action. "I reported him to a ranger," the bystander wrote.
Protecting the landscapes and wildlife found in our national parks requires people to adhere to certain rules, including not removing or possessing natural or cultural resources, such as flowers, rocks, and antlers. If you get caught doing so, you could face legal action and heavy fines.
Every year in Yellowstone, a variety of large animals, including elk, moose, and deer, shed their antlers, usually in the winter or early spring. These large racks can be found throughout the park. "Antlers are not just remnants of the wildlife; they are an essential part of the park's nutrient cycle," the post explained, citing the NPS.
This is because they provide nutrients for a range of small mammals, including rodents and porcupines, which chew on them for the minerals they contain. The antlers also break down over time, adding nutrients to the soil and helping support plant life.
Visiting a national park can help people connect more with nature and observe animals in their natural environment. To protect these parks, it is important to adhere to the rules, including keeping your distance from wildlife and leaving the park as you found it.
This helps preserve these natural areas for people to enjoy in the future. It also helps protect biodiversity, which provides a range of services that humans depend on, including clean air, water, and ingredients for medicine.
People in the comments were shocked by the tourist's blatant disregard for the rules.
"Park rangers take antler theft VERY seriously. Don't steal from our national parks!" one commenter wrote.
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Others were grateful to the bystander, with one writing, "Thank you for reporting him."
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