Photos show 11 times tourists misbehaved at US national parks this summer

Lauren EdmondsSep 2, 2023, 16:53 IST

A grizzly bear at Yellowstone National Park.Joe McDonald/ Getty Images

There have been many incidents involving tourists at US national parks this summer.
Some have endangered the wild animals, resulting in at least one bison euthanization.

Whether defacing The Colosseum in Italy or falling asleep drunk at the Eiffel Tower in France, tourists were particularly shameless as many tried to reclaim time lost during the COVID pandemic. US national parks weren't exempt from the chaos, with some incidents resulting in human and wildlife injuries.

Here are 11 times that tourists misbehaved at US national parks.

In May, a bison calf had to be euthanized after a man lifted it from a river, prompting its herd to reject it.

An unidentified man disturbed a bison calf in Lamar Valley near the Lamar River and Soda Butte Creek in Yellowstone Park.Hellen Jack/National Parks Service

That same month, two black bears died after being struck by vehicles at Yellowstone National Park.

Tourists killed two black bears in May.Bryant Aardema -bryants wildlife images/Getty Images

Tourists put an elk calf in their car during Memorial Day weekend.

Two elks at Yellowstone National Park.traveler1116/Getty Images

In May, footage of a woman taking a selfie with a bison gained national attention.

A shirtless man harassed bears at Yellowstone by growling and charging at them in June.

Park officials said two people harassed a bison calf at Grand Teton National Park that same month.

Grand Teton National Park released an image showing two people near a bison calf.Grand Teton National Park

A woman ignored warnings and put her hand in a steaming hot spring at Yellowstone National Park days later.

People vandalized a historic church at San Antonio Missions National Historical Park in June.

Mission San Jose at San Antonio Missions National Historical Park.Murat Taner/Getty Images

Rocky Mountain National Park scolded visitors in July after rangers found a bat dangling from a tree on a fishing lure.

In August, Yellowstone National Park banned a tourist who was reportedly intoxicated when he went off-trail in one of the park's thermal areas.

Steam rises off Silex Spring in the Lower Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.Jon G. Fuller/VW PICS/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

This month, a group of tourists surrounded a grizzly bear and her two cubs at Yellowstone National Park.

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