As National Parks in the United States attract millions of tourists every year, park rangers do their best to keep the visitors and wildlife safe. But not everyone will heed their warnings.
A frustrated tourist visiting Yellowstone National Park recently took a video of one individual breaking park rules just for a photo.
The viral video, shared on the Tourons of Yellowstone (@touronsofyellowstone) Instagram page, shows a woman standing next to a bubbling and smoking hot spring, holding her smartphone above — appearing to take a photo or video.
The hot spring can be seen far from the wooden pathway visitors are not permitted to veer away from. Another park visitor can be heard scoffing at the rule-breaking tourist in the background.
"Stay on the boardwalk!!!" the caption of the video reads.
While Yellowstone's landscape may be captivating, the National Parks Service explicitly urges visitors to remain on the trails and boardwalks when touring the park.
The agency has warned that Yellowstone's hot springs are known for having injured or killed more people in the park than any other natural features.
"Boardwalks and trails protect you and delicate thermal formations," officials say. "Water in hot springs can cause severe or fatal burns, and scalding water underlies most of the thin, breakable crust around hot springs."
Those caught breaking these rules may also be subject to hefty fines or jail time.
Popular parks like Yellowstone are known for attracting tourons — a term for tourists acting like morons. As these individuals blatantly break park rules in order to take the best photo or video, they are exploiting and causing damage to the wildlife around while also limiting the experience of others. Some tourons have even been caught vandalizing natural features and littering — causing severe harm to the surrounding ecosystems.
To best protect yourself and nature around you, it is key to heed the warnings from park officials. Respecting the natural world in this way can also help foster awareness for our ever-changing climate.
The recent video left many social media users calling on parks to take severe action against tourists acting irresponsibly in order to better protect the environment and visitors.
"What they need are Rangers patrolling full time and handing out on the spot fines, simple," one wrote.
"Not a good park to disregard safety precautions [in]," another said.
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