One tourist literally risked life and limb to get a closer look at a mineral pool, despite a park ranger's repeated warnings. A video posted by the Instagram account Tourons of Yellowstone (@TouronsofYellowstone) showed a tourist stepping off the designated walkway into a protected area, walking dangerously close to a steaming hot mineral pool.
"Guy puts a hand in Spouter at Black Sands Basin," the caption read. "He was walking all over the basin."
Commenters were enraged. "A huge fine and mandatory jail time isn't enough harsh enough," one person wrote.
"Time to cite and fine. Their arrogance is ruining beauty for the rest of us," another agreed.
"Jump on in…waters fine," one person joked.
In fact, the average water temperature in Yellowstone's Black Sand Basin is nearly 200 degrees, which is why visitors are not allowed near the pools. And yet, although the park rules were designed expressly to protect park-goers, many instead choose to ignore them — such as this man.
"I've been a guide for over a year," the caption continued. "I generally don't warn people anymore because most of the time they just tell me to shove it."
Tourists like this — often nicknamed tourons, a combination of tourist and moron — are unfortunately common around the globe. From risking an animal encounter for a selfie to driving off road, littering, crowding wildlife, stopping traffic, and generally being selfish and careless, tourons can ruin the entire day for the people and animals around them.
"They are not morons; they are just people who flagrantly ignore the rules, and don't seem to care," one person said grimly. "The rules, apparently, only apply to the people who respect them."
"Why can't we just stop letting people into the park" another asked. "They have no regard for the park. Just stop letting them in."
Indeed, certain places are beginning to fight back. It is possible to be banned from national parks in the U.S., though it's still relatively uncommon. And some parks, like Carnarvon National Park in Australia, are slapping rule-breakers with hefty fines for going off-trail. Yet despite these policies, tourons everywhere continue to behave like … well, tourons.
It's up to visitors to ensure they are educating themselves on the proper way to interact with the natural world and following rules when visiting national parks to ensure they are respecting nature.
"I swear it just gets worse every year. It makes me not even want to go into the park anymore," one commenter lamented. "I just cannot comprehend the lack of respect."
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