Yellowstone Park Guide Films Photographer Who ‘Refused’ to Leave Grizzly Bears
A Yellowstone National Park guide filmed a photographer who refused to move away as a grizzly bear and her cubs crossed a highway.
In a clip shared to Instagram on Monday, Yellowstone National Park guide Andrea Baratte documented a photographer who represented a “prime example of what not to do” in the presence of a grizzly bear and cubs.
In the footage that was filmed in Yellowstone National Park, a photographer with a tripod is filmed mere yards from a grizzly bear mom as she attempts to lead her yearling cubs across the road.
The video also shows crowds of tourists are also seen lining the highway to watch the grizzly bear family cross the road.
‘A Prime Example of What Not to Do’
According to For The Win, Yellowstone National Park guidelines mandate that tourists stay at least 100 yards from bears and wolves. In cases where that might not be possible, visitors are required to exercise enough common sense to create a safe environment for themselves and the animals.
However, Baratte, who guides for Yellowstone Adventure Tours, explains that the photographer in the video would not leave the area and shoot a bit further away from the grizzly bear family to ensure the safety of the animals.
“As much as visitors enjoy seeing grizzly bears in Yellowstone, this is a prime of example on what not to do,” Baratte writes in an accompanying caption to the Instagram video.
“This bear with her cubs has been feeding for the last 10 days on a drowned bison and the location is no secret, hence all the people.
“You need to keep at least 100 yards, otherwise stay in your car. The photographer in the street refused to leave the area even after letting him know multiple times in advance that she was going to cross the road.”
For The Win reports that the photographer was putting himself in a dangerous position by not leaving the area. If the grizzly bears had tried to pass in his direction, they could have perceived the photographer as a serious threat.
However, fortunately, the grizzly bear is seen calmly leading her cubs back to the wilderness in the footage.
This is not the first time that tourists and photographers have gotten too close to the animals in Yellowstone National Park. In March, PetaPixel reported on a photographer who was filmed going nose-to-nose with a bison.
Image credits: Header photo via Instagram/@montanawild.
