Heed Safety Warnings - National Parks Can Be Dangerous!

When I was a youngster, we were bombarded with shows like Grizzly Adams, and cartoon characters like Wyle E. Coyote and Yogi Bear. Then vacation with the folks to Yellowstone where you could walk up to garbage dumps to watch the bears scavenge and even feed them from your car right in front of Rangers. As adults, we visit the National Parks and think we can still do that. I've seen a guy in YNP walk right up to the rear end of an adult Elk and walk beside him so he could get a picture of his head, during breeding season. And a woman yelling at a ranger because she tried to drive thru a herd of bison crossing the road with their new babies, and Momma put a large dent in her driver's side door. Its really difficult to un-teach somebody about wild animals. The Rangers fight an uphill battle every day.

Pushed my buttons here.

People look at wild animals the way that they have seen them depicted in cartoons or on some other media. Each animal is very often viewed as a cuddly domesticated pet or the other end, as a vicious, mindless killer. The real truth is the animal is neither.

It is very common among tourists seeing their first alligator.

When we volunteered in Rocky Mtn. NP there was a father and young son boulder hopping in a fast deep stream. The boy fell off and under the water. Rescuers were searching downstream but finally found him wedged inbetween boulders right where he fell. So sad...and there are always falls around waterfalls because folks want to get just a little closer to the spray. The animal stories are unlimited .... just for that special picture saying 'look at me'! Yep...people sure can be stupid.

About 3 months ago DW Barbara and I coined a one word answer to most anything these days ............


P E O P L E !!

When I was a child we went to Yellowstone. Parents were putting their children on the bears for a picture. !!!!! One child was killed......we didn't see it but it affected me. Years later I lived near a coastal tourist town. My co-worker's brother was an EMT......the stories I heard of what the tourists did and the problems they had........and the deaths was amazing. Yes....BE CAREFUL....don't be DUMB!

If you really like this subject:

http://www.amazon.com/Death-Yellowstone-Accidents-Foolhardiness-National/dp/1570980217/ref=pd_sim_b_1

http://www.amazon.com/Over-The-Edge-expanded-anniversay/dp/0984785809/ref=pd_sim_b_2

http://www.amazon.com/Off-Wall-Yosemite-Michael-Ghiglieri/dp/0970097360/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376663428&sr=1-1&keywords=death+in+yosemite