A video of people blatantly breaking the rules at Yellowstone National Park has viewers wondering why they were allowed to stay in the park.
The clip, posted on the popular Instagram account TouronsOfYellowstone (@touronsofyellowstone), shows two such "tourons" — a hybrid of tourists and morons — flying a drone over the park's Grand Prismatic Spring. An accompanying photo displays a sign that says remote aircraft, such as drones, are prohibited.
"Drones are illegal in Yellowstone," the caption reads. "Leave your drones at home."
The caption adds that this couple also flew a drone into an osprey nest at the park.
The National Park Service has mostly banned drones from its parks, with occasional exceptions for things such as rescue missions and scientific monitoring. This ban, the agency says, is for the good of both tourists and wildlife.
"Imagine stepping to the rim of the Grand Canyon only to hear the high whine of a drone engine or have a quadcopter photobomb your perfect shot," the NPS wrote. "Or imagine being a bird or small mammal, and sensing a strange flying object — predator? rival? — swoop into your flightpath or over your head."
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Sure enough, the high-pitched buzz of a drone engine is easily heard in the Prismatic Spring clip.
Drones can cause undue stress to animals, particularly birds, that may view the unmanned aircraft as a threat. In New York's Rockaway Beach, birds have started swarming drones that the city uses for patrol purposes.
Sadly, this clip isn't the only example on social media of tourists flying drones in national parks, despite what the rules say.
Some commenters on this clip said they think the NPS ban goes too far and that parks should allow tourists to purchase a drone permit. But others said that, even with permits in place, wildlife safety couldn't be guaranteed.
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Definitely 👍 Instead, most commenters argued the tourons should face serious repercussions for their violation of park rules.
"Confiscate the drone, especially if they're repeat offenders!" one commenter wrote.
But others didn't think that punishment would be enough.
"Why are they even allowed in the park if they flew that horrid thing into an osprey nest," one commenter asked. "Ban them for life."
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