In an Instagram video that was reposted on the Tourons of Yellowstone page (@touronsofyellowstone), one can see a crowd of Yellowstone tourists standing dangerously close to a lone black bear, taking selfies. "Are you kidding me? That bear is coming…" is heard from the person recording the tourons who act carelessly while taking selfies with the bear.
The term "touron" ("tourist" + "moron") is used to highlight when tourists act thoughtlessly in natural places, often for the sake of taking photos and videos.
At Yellowstone National Park, you must remain a minimum of 100 feet away from bears and wolves, according to the National Park Service, and the tourists in the video appear to be much closer than that, even if there is some separation.
Tourists disrespecting this rule and wildlife is unfortunately not uncommon. There are numerous instances of tourists acting foolish by getting too close to elk or taunting herds of bison. While national park visitors can't always help what they drive past in a park, it is the tourons who will get out of their cars to take photos and videos of wildlife, all while getting far too close.
There is a price to pay for disrespecting wildlife and national park rules. In an article posted by the Yale School of the Environment, it is reported that the increase in visiting tourists who disrespect park rules causes serious detriment to the ecology of the parks.
"Ecological problems from the hordes of people abound in many parks. In Yellowstone, for example… visitors are walking off boardwalks, making their own trails, throwing stuff into hot springs," the Yale report states.
Also highlighted in the report is that when tourons crowd around wildlife, they can lose their fear of humans, resulting in them needing to be moved and displaced outside of their home environments.
Commenters on the video share the same sentiment, feeling frustrated and fed up with the constant lack of respect for wildlife and nature from tourons.
"What are people thinking??!!!??" asks one user.
"I personally can't outrun a bear. So, I would stay farther back. Just sayin…" jokes another user.
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