A small group of tourists is going viral for their wanton disregard for safety regulations at one of the most famous natural sites in the United States.
Tourons, or tourists who behave dangerously or disrespectfully in the environments they visit, do the rounds in online circles when they are caught on camera making poor choices.
In this latest example from a post from Tourons of Yellowstone (@touronsofyellowstone), a large group of tourists stands off the boardwalk at a geyser in Yellowstone National Park.
The real subject of the video is three tourists who strode out an additional few yards to take photos of themselves in front of the geyser.
The boardwalk in Yellowstone was built for a reason. According to the National Park Service, the water that the Old Faithful geyser produces is heated in thermal vents below the ground and reaches up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit while underground, and it retains 204 degrees of heat while shooting out at the surface.
Liquids above 130 degrees Fahrenheit are likely to cause burns within 30 seconds, according to research published in the National Library of Medicine.
The boardwalk is built away from the geyser to ensure the safety of park guests, but ignoring designated walkways and going off trail is discouraged anywhere in natural areas.
Stepping off designated trails or boardwalks in national parks — which ensure the conservation of unique flora, fauna, and natural structures — "can damage or kill certain plant or animal species, and can hurt the ecosystems that surround the trail," according to the NPS.
Psychologists have found that people with a deeper connection with nature are more likely to make more sustainable choices. National parks are a big part of encouraging connections like this, but if the parks themselves continue to be disrespected and plundered for selfies by people like those in the video, there may be less left to connect to.
Folks in the comments had little sympathy for the tourons on the tundra.
The top commenter wrote: "Would love to see these people banned from every park permanently."
Another said: "I think we need more Park Rangers because these people are destroying our National Treasures."
"Is this what humanity is now???? No common sense or logic let alone respect for nature sad sad," someone else wrote.
Another user put forward a melancholy perspective that showcases the damage done: "Folks like this make me want to stay far far away from the national parks."
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