A tourist is facing federal charges for disturbing grizzly bears in their natural habitat.
Per ABC News, 25-year-old Samantha R. Dehring, who hails from Carol Stream in Illinois, willingly endangered herself and several animals at Yellowstone Park on May 10.
Dehring risked life and limb when walking through Roaring Mountain, and attempted to get up close and personal to a grizzly bear and her cubs, in order to snap a quick picture.
A video shot by another tourist showed Dehring standing roughly 15 feet from a grizzly, taking a photo of the animal with her cellphone.
Although she backed away only after the bear briefly charged at her and then retreated, other bears nearby appeared to be startled by the encounter, and then ran off into the forest.
The footage was shared with Yellowstone Park Rangers, who later provided the results of their investigation to U.S. Rangers in the area where Dehring lives.
Take a look at this video of the incident right here:These rangers then served Dehring with the violation notices, and she was ordered to appear before a magistrate judge in Mammoth Hot Spring, Wyoming, on August 26.
There, she answered charges of willfully remaining, approaching, and photographing wildlife within 100 yards, as well as feeding, touching, teasing, frightening, or intentionally disturbing wildlife.
Dehring now faces up to a year in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.
This isn't the first time a visitor was caught someone getting close to wild animals.
In June, a 17-year-old girl named Hailey Morinico was captured on film driving a black bear away from her beloved dogs.
The shocking incident was captured on a surveillance camera and later uploaded to TikTok by Morinico's cousin.
Commenting on the incident in a later interview with NBC Los Angeles, Morinico stated: "I was like 'Oh my God, there’s a bear, and it is taking my dog. It is lifting her up off the ground.
"The dog that the bear grabbed; she's the baby. I have to protect the baby."
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