Pierce Brosnan has faced his fair share of sticky situations while playing James Bond, but he's now in hot water in real life.
What happened?
BBC reported that Brosnan was charged by U.S. National Park Service rangers with trespassing in Yellowstone National Park. The 70-year-old actor, who was in the area shooting the Western "Unholy Trinity" that also stars Samuel L. Jackson, was caught going off trail near the Mammoth Hot Springs on Nov. 1.
Brosnan has since pleaded not guilty. A hearing is scheduled for Feb. 20.
Why was Brosnan's crime so bad?
Brosnan's act of trespassing carried potentially dangerous consequences. The park website notes that the ground near the hot springs is unstable and can, as the BBC put it, "easily give way to the boiling hot acid pools beneath."
According to the BBC, more than 20 people have died after falling into the park's hot springs. Just this August, a Yellowstone tourist from Michigan deviated from the official trail, got thermal burns on one of his feet, and was arrested and banned from the park. In 2016, a man died in the Lower Geyser Basin after venturing too close off the boardwalk, and the result was so bad that authorities could not recover his body, which dissolved almost completely by the next day.
What can you do to avoid ending up like Brosnan?
While Brosnan is widely regarded as one of the smoothest actors to grace the silver screen, his misstep at Yellowstone puts him in the category of other tourons, which is a combination of the words "tourists" and "morons" and refers to people who do thoughtless things while traveling.
Tourons display a sense of entitlement and engage in reckless behavior that indicates a disregard for the environment that can be harmful to wildlife and other nature lovers. Violations such as Brosnan's can ruin the experience for other people who want to enjoy the park. Also, animals that attack humans, provoked or unprovoked, face euthanization.
Climate and environmental awareness begins with respect for nature and the rules in place that are meant to protect both humans and animals. It's important to gain a better understanding of the natural world in order to recognize the need to protect it and not abuse it.
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