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A grizzly bear and cubs were wandering through Yellowstone National Park when a woman got out of her car and walked toward them, video shows.
She stood within feet of the grizzly bear. It looks like she was taking photos or videos with her phone when the bear started running toward her, according to video posted May 12.
The woman gasped and walked away, but Yellowstone park officials are now investigating the incident.
“We’d like to emphasize the importance for people to stay in their vehicles if grizzlies with cubs are less than 100 yards away,” Yellowstone park officials told McClatchy News in an email. “The people in the video got out of their car to view a mother grizzly and two cubs that were much closer than 100 yards away.”
Yellowstone officials said the animals within the park are wild and unpredictable. They can also be dangerous. Tourists should always stay about 300 feet away from bears and wolves, and about 75 feet away from other animals.
“Every year people are injured when they approach animals too closely, and animals that attack people may need to be killed,” park officials said.
Park officials didn’t say what kind of punishment there could be for getting too close to the grizzlies, but there are laws against harassing wildlife. It could be a federal crime.
In 2018, an Oregon man was sentenced to 130 days in jail after he was seen on video taunting a bison that stopped traffic, the Associated Press reported. The man was also banned from Grand Teton, Yellowstone and Glacier national parks for five years.
Video shows the man getting out of his car, yelling and gesturing to the bison. The bison then charges toward the man.
“If you cause an animal to move, you’re too close,” park officials said. “It’s illegal to willfully remain near or approach wildlife, including birds, within any distance that disturbs or displaces the animal.”
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