Staying Safe In Our National Parks

Above, a black bear and cub at Yellowstone National Park. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It seems that every week a report of a death in one of our national parks hits the news.

Last week, a 21-year-old Romanian visitor to Yosemite National Park fell to his death near a waterfall.

Q13 Fox has posted an article on "7 Ways To Stay Safe In National Parks".

They begin with:

(CNN) — The urge to get a bit closer to Yosemite National Park’s waterfalls or Yellowstone National Park’s majestic bears is so tempting. 

Yet so many of the US National Park Service sites are wild natural wonders, with dangers such as unpredictable weather, epic precipices and wild animals that may view you as a threat. 

A visitor to Yosemite National Park fell to his death last week, a tragedy that park officials say may have been prevented if he had stayed on the marked trails. 

Our national parks are not zoos, with animals caged to protect you from aggressive behavior, and it’s not safe to ignore the rules, National Park Service officials say. It’s important to read up on your national park destination and follow rules and guidelines posted in the parks.

To read more, go here.