Well, here's some weird news for you: A shirtless man filmed grunting like a gorilla to terrorize a bear at Yellowstone national park may face jail time. That doesn't sound bear-y nice.
The yet-to-be-identified clout chaser is potentially facing jail time and a whopping $5,000 fine for harassing the park's resident bears, which subsequently went viral online.
Yellowstone Park Service spokeswoman Linda Veress told Cowboy State Daily: "We're aware of these videos and are investigating."
Footage of the stunt was posted to Tourons of Yellowstone on Instagram - the name cheekily derived from combining the words "tourist" and "moron" - which publishes images and videos of people harassing animals in the national park in order to shame them.
In the clip the man parked his car near a black bear in a grassy area as his friend sat in the passenger seat and filmed. He then gets out and runs at the animal while grunting like a gorilla, causing the animal to get startled and run away... All while the camera guy laughs hysterically. Yeah, real funny...
Oh, but it's not over yet. The tourist tears off his shirt, flexes his muscles, and lets out a triumphant roar. Then, the video cuts to the same man harassing another bear in the woods.
Yellowstone authorities have stated that they saw the clips and are investigating the incident, which have the potential to land the offender in jail. "The charge in an incident like this would be a Class B misdemeanor with up to six months in jail and $5,000 fine. The charge/s could include for example disturbing wildlife, disorderly conduct (create/maintain a hazardous condition), and/or approaching wildlife," Veress said.
The National Park Service website warns potential visitors on safety guidelines to abide by, which includes a warning to never approach wildlife. "The animals in Yellowstone are wild and unpredictable, no matter how calm they appear to be. The safest (and often best) view of wildlife is from inside a car," the site says.
It also adds that visitors should "stay at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves," and to remain in or near their car when "viewing bears along roads."
Though, despite all the warnings, reports of visitors harassing animals at national parks are nothing new. In fact, earlier this month authorities in Wyoming were on the hunt for two people who allegedly approached and harassed a bison calf at a national park in the picturesque state, ABC News reported.
The incident occurred at Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming earlier this month, when two people were seen "approaching and touching a bison calf at the southern end of Elk Ranch Flats in Grand Teton National Park," according to a statement from the National Park Service describing the encounter.
