Bystander calls out tourists at national park for illegal and disruptive behavior: 'Send this to the rangers'

On the surface, bringing a drone to a national park might seem like a great idea. What could be better than capturing nature, maybe even a bear, from a bird's-eye view?

In reality, the practice is banned by the National Park Service for good reason. 

A Redditor shared how he forcefully relayed that message at Mount Rainier National Park to two visitors.

Drone being flown over a black bear grazing at Rainier National Park
byu/meowthesnail inPNWhiking

In the post, the Redditor says he initially called out the tourists for flying the drone close to a bear. After he says they protested that their drone "wasn't even close to it," the Redditor countered by informing them that, in any case, their drone was illegal. He said they stood down after hearing that and landed it.

The Redditor shared photos and a video of the drone operators in his post and relayed that the drone was audible to hikers and caught the attention of the bear multiple times.

"I see us as guests to these lands and it was pretty f***** to see people blatantly doing something like this," he concluded in his post.

While blunt, the Redditor was correct in his sentiment and right to enforce park rules, especially since it may have put others in danger if it agitated the bear.

For one thing, the drone could have really bothered the bear or other animals. In an incident at Zion National Park, a drone upset a herd of bighorn sheep, scattering the herd, including young sheep.

Another potential disturbance is fellow hikers. Drones are noisy, distracting, and can take away from the benefits of being out in nature. You can imagine how frustrating it would be to go on a beautiful hike only to see dozens of drones.

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Even though the national park ban on drone use without a permit dates back ten years, it seems many people are unaware or just don't care. There have been incidents in Yellowstone, Death Valley, and Acadia where the operators frequently plead ignorance of the rules. Abiding by the rules is just one part of vacationing responsibly.

Commenters on Reddit shared the original poster's exasperation with the drone flyers and sought punishment.

"Send this to the rangers," one suggested. They added that rangers "take this seriously and the fine is something like $500."

Another user added: "Thank you on behalf of the wilderness rangers here at Mount Rainier National Park."

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