From staying on marked paths to not feeding the wildlife, rules at national parks are put in place to keep visitors and wildlife safe.
Recent tourists to Yellowstone National Park are facing criticism after a video circulated on Instagram of their dogs on a boardwalk near hot springs, clearly disregarding the park's regulations.
TouronsOfYellowstone (@touronsofyellowstone) shared the original video with a caption reminding everyone of the rules for bringing a dog to the park.
The video shows someone walking their dog or dogs in a stroller along the boardwalk, with the steam of hot springs rising in the background, before another group of tourists and their leashed dog are also seen. As TouronsOfYellowstone notes in their post, dogs are not allowed on boardwalks in any way.
The majority of comments are echoing the disdain that "tourons" share with these visitors who blatantly ignore park safety guidelines. As one commenter expressed, "This is so irritating."
The name "tourons" is a portmanteau of "tourists" and "morons." The account shares many posts of unsafe or disrespectful tourist actions in the national park.
The account has over 646,000 followers, and this post in particular already has over 2,800 likes.
National parks are an important way for many in the country to get out into the beautiful nature that the United States has to offer. However, they can also be dangerous. Data from the National Park Service demonstrates that from 2014 to 2019, there were 2,149 deaths across all national parks.
While the most unintentional deaths were caused in motor vehicle accidents, drowning and falling were the next highest. In 2021, a woman suffered severe thermal burns after jumping into hot springs to save her dog, and the dog later died.
So, the rules have some precedent in aiming to prevent tragedy, in addition to allowing for a safer and calmer experience for many other visitors, especially children — especially considering the possibility of one stumbling on the boardwalk to avoid a dog.
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Absolutely 💯 Some in the comments felt as though the idea of keeping a dog or dogs in a stroller would be much more acceptable than out on a leash, as long as it's a place where a baby in a stroller would be permitted.
The dog on a leash was not large, and the scene looked innocent at a glance, but it's easy to imagine the possible problems, and even more importantly, rules need to be followed consistently since there could be even more significant problems from dozens or hundreds of visitors violating that rule at the same time.
There are a variety of ways to stay safe and respect the land while visiting these parks.
For general safety, there are many tips published for maximizing your enjoyment and minimizing risk. These include following marked trails, sticking with your group, and doing your research beforehand.
National parks are also home to many wildlife species, some of which are threatened or endangered. It is always advised to leave space for the animals and not to feed them, as they can be dangerous to humans.
Additionally, any visitor to a national park has likely heard of "Leave No Trace." The seven principles teach an easy methodology for minimizing your impact on the wilderness.
Disobeying rules in national parks is more than just disagreeing with a suggestion. These rules are in place to avoid serious harm to both visitors and wildlife.
As one comment said, "It's the … rule for a reason!"
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