Yellowstone Tourist Fined $1,000 – Not Enough [OPINION]

What to do with the increasing number of tourists behaving badly in Yellowstone National Park. It's getting way out of hand and we'd like to know what you think should be done. Tell us in the poll at the end of this article.

A Chinese national left the boardwalk near Mammoth Hot Springs area to collect some thermal water for medicinal purposes and ended up getting a $1,000 fine, with a $30 court on Tuesday, June 14th. Chron.com reports “According to the park, a witness saw the man step off the boardwalk, walk on the terrace formation near Liberty Cap and collect thermal water. The witness also said the man broke through travertine crust, which is very fragile.”

This follows the recent grizzly death of an Oregon man who fell into a geyser and his body was never recovered. Greatfallstribune reports “The same day a man walked off a designated boardwalk and died after falling into a hot springs at Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park, a Great Falls woman confronted a group of six people who did the same thing at the park’s Grand Prismatic Spring.

flatheadbeacon reports “A day after Scott’s death, six people received $130-citations for walking off trail in the Grand Prismatic Springs area.”

I think that is far from enough from being a proper disincentive. For a slap like that, people will keep being idiots.

In my humble opinion, we should up the fines and add additional harsh punishment so that wild animals, and yes, THEY ARE WILD, do not have to pay the ultimate price for idiot humans. And as for the environment, it is stone but sometimes fragile and some formations have been millions of years in the making but could be destroyed in seconds when people think they are above the rules. The warnings are up but they do no good when ignored. Let’s make violators pay for their ignorance and set as examples to others who think they can do it too.

Put them in stocks on display at park entrances to serve as a warning to all incoming tourists.

Yellowstone historian Lee Whittlesey said.

"This is not a resort. This is not a zoo. This is not a farm or ranch. This is a place that will kill you and people are not used to that,"

Park personnel ask visitors to protect their park and protect themselves. This year we seem to have an epidemic of people doing the opposite.

I would substitute the word “animals” for “themselves.” “They” can be subject to Darwin’s rules of survival. I am angry enough to make them wear Lady GaGa-like ‘meat suits’ and then have them walk through packs of hungry wolves.

What do you think should be done to Yellowstone violators?