A famous local grizzly bear and her two cubs were cruelly stalked and harassed by a drone operated by a cretin hiding in Yellowstone National Park, leaving nearby tourists “madder than hell.”
Park visitor Don Johnson of Idaho Falls told the Cowboy State Daily he was filming the family of bears May 14 near Grizzly Lake in the sprawling park’s northeast corner, not far from Mammoth Hot Springs, when he inadvertently caught the quadcopter drone buzzing the grizzlies — flying so close, “they could have reared up and swatted it out of the air,” according to the outlet.
The harassed mother grizzly was Beryl, one of the park’s most famous ursine residents.
Johnson said he didn’t even notice the aircraft until after he stopped filming and heard a park ranger yelling about a drone.
The commotion drew a crowd of dozens of other witnesses who were furious about the animals being tormented.
“Everybody was madder than hell. If anybody caught them, they’d probably have strung them up,” Johnson said.
“It should be illegal, and there should be a huge fine for doing it,” he said.
Fortunately, there is, but the drone-piloting creep who took it upon himself to badger the majestic creatures on their home turf slithered away before authorities could catch up with him at the landmark park, which stretches from Wyoming to Montana and Idaho.
Piloting drones anywhere within any national park including Yellowstone is a crime punishable by up to six months in jail and/or a $5,000 fine.
Johnson shared his video to Facebook, where it quickly racked up tens of thousands of views and comments, which he characterized as “universally angry,” the outlet said.
“You got some people wanting to ban the tourists, but most people didn’t say much except that they hope [the drone operator gets] caught,” he said.
Some commenters said they hope publicity about the incident would lead to the culprit being identified.
Cowboy State Daily said the mama bear and her cubs seem to have been largely unaffected by the incident and have resumed roaming the park to the delight of the more considerate visitors.
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