Onlooker captures frustrating video of tourist's reckless actions at national park: 'You are not entitled to do whatever you want'

A gut-wrenching viral video documented a woman completely disobeying safety rules as she ignored the marked path to get up close to a geyser at Yellowstone National Park.

"Recorded this last week," the visitor who captured the risky move said in the caption of the Instagram post in Tourons of Yellowstone (@touronsofyellowstone). "As we were leaving, the rangers had her detained," they said to give more context to the video.

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Going off the marked safety paths is incredibly dangerous to undertake at any national park. At Yellowstone, about 16 individuals since the 1990s have been severely injured by geysers, while some have even died from them. Across all national parks in the United States, more than 200 people are said to die annually, many of whom die from accidents, disregarding rules.

Yellowstone explained that "more serious third-degree burns are suffered by visitors who leave boardwalks and marked trails. They break through the thin surface crust up to their knees, and their boots fill with scalding water."

This should not dissuade tourists from enjoying the park as a great vacation spot. However, it should remind them to bear in mind the safety rules that the parks have in place for a reason.

As abysmal as this seems, it's not the only harm that can come from visitors off-trailing. These protected ecosystems are easily harmed by trampling vital vegetation, plants, and eroding soil.

Yellowstone National Park, in particular, is known for its one-of-a-kind algae, bacteria, and fungi, which can easily be destroyed through human interference. The rare microorganisms are vital for biotechnology used in medicine. Thus, damaging such a necessary organism can have extensive impacts on human medicinal advancements.

The viral video had viewers pleased that the tourist was detained for breaking the safety rules.

"You are not entitled to do whatever you want with no respect for the ecosystem rules (which are there for your safety)!" one stated.

Another documented their own observations from Yellowstone National Park. "Literally just got back from Yellowstone [and] I couldn't believe how many people were running out of their cars towards bears holding spray, running towards bison and elk," they wrote. "Yellowstone is NOT a zoo!"