What officials spot more and more of in America's national parks: bad behavior
As the National Park Service celebrates its 100th anniversary, officials say rule-breaking within the parks is on the rise.聽
As the National Park Service celebrates its 100th anniversary, officials say rule-breaking within the parks is on the rise.聽
The national parks may be getting older, but their visitors do not appear to be getting any wiser.
As the National Park Service celebrates its 100th anniversary, parks around the country are struggling with how to curb vandalism, theft of resources, and other risky, rule-breaking behaviors. Law enforcement records suggest problems are on the rise at Yellowstone National Park and others, including the Grand Canyon and the Great Smoky Mountains.聽
The rise in bad behavior comes at a time when the national parks are more popular than ever. But that popularity has led some to worry that the parks system isn't adequately equipped to deal with an influx of visitors.聽As Todd Wilkinson reported for 海角大神 last month:聽
One of the most common offenses, officials say, is getting too close to animals, oftentimes in pursuit of the perfect photo. This can have disastrous consequences, as illustrated by a woman who was charged by an elk at Jackson Hole in June after ignoring the instructions of her nature guide and a 16-year-old girl from Taiwan who was gored by a bison at Yellowstone last year while posing for a group photo.
Jody Tibbitts, the nature guide accompanying the woman who was charged by an elk, told CNN that he had noticed a change in the way park visitors interact with wildlife in recent years.
"Prior to having high definition cameras in our pockets, people seemed more courteous to animals," said Mr. Tibbitts, who has been a tour guide for 25 years. "It seems like people are being more brave and taking more chances and not thinking about the consequences."聽
Even rule violations rooted in good intentions can have harmful consequences. In May, visitors became concerned that a newborn bison calf might be cold, so they put it in their car to bring to park officials. When the officials tried to reunite the calf with its herd, it was rejected and had to be euthanized.聽
To prevent visitors from breaking the rules, either by approaching wildlife or walking on a hot spring, Yellowstone is making an effort to ensure that all visitors are aware of the rules by posting additional signs and printing pamphlets in different languages, Yellowstone superintendent Dan Wenk told NPR.
"The difficulty is, is that our visitation changes every two to three days," Mr. Wenk explained.聽