Yellowstone tourists get dangerously close to volcanic vents for a picture: ‘Their IQ Test came back negative’
It seems we have some contestants for this year’s Darwin Awards, as some tourists at Yellowstone will do just about anything for a selfie.
Instagrammer Belle (@iamisabelllle) is calling attention to some of these “tourons” (tourist morons) in a video that was recently shared by TouronsOfYellowstone (@touronsofyellowstone).
“Today was the first time in Yellowstone for my husband and I. We are visiting from Australia. I couldn’t believe it, but yes, I saw tourons with my own eyes,” the post said.
She went on to explain that people were taking photos off of the designated boardwalks next to a hot spring. Some men even pretended to warm their hands with the steam, she said.
This is problematic because Yellowstone’s geothermal features can be deadly. The park’s website warns visitors to stay on boardwalks and designated trails, saying, “Water in hot springs can cause severe or fatal burns, and scalding water underlies most of the thin, breakable crust around hot springs.”
The crust they’re standing on can crumble easily, according to Outsider, which stated, “Below lies entire thermal systems of boiling water and mud. All of it is hot enough to instantly begin cooking human flesh.” Yikes.
In fact, more than 20 people have died from burns they suffered after entering or falling into one of Yellowstone’s hot springs.
But that’s not the only danger in one of America’s most beloved national parks — more than 100 people have died in Yellowstone’s lakes and rivers. Other visitors choose to put themselves and wildlife at risk, like a woman who was almost gored by a bison after trying to touch it this May.
TouronsOfYellowstone has over 298,000 followers and posts content of tourists behaving badly nearly daily across the national park system.
“It never ceases to AMAZE me how stupid people are!” the profile description reads.
It’s vitally important to respect the rules of national parks, both for your own safety and that of wildlife. Yellowstone has a safety page on its website that warns visitors of potential risks and how to avoid them. Before you visit Yellowstone or any national park, review its safety page and follow all rules in the park.
Commenters were pretty savage, with one saying, “And when it burns
their skin off they won’t be so happy.
”
Another person added, “That’s a good way to get 2nd or 3rd degree burns or die if the burns become infected.”
“Their IQ Test came back negative,” another stated bluntly.
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