A woman who starred in a viral video that shows her being charged by a grizzly bear at close quarters in Yellowstone National Park will spend four days in jail.
Samantha R. Dehring, 25, of Carol Stream, Ill., pleaded guilty Wednesday to “willfully remaining, approaching, and photographing wildlife within 100 yards” during the May 10 encounter, according to a National Park Service news release.
The encounter, at Roaring Mountain, was captured on video by another tourist from inside her vehicle.
Check out this clip of a @YellowstoneNPS grizzly bear bluff charging a tourist that got too close. Darcie Addington took this from the safety of her vehicle. She doesn’t know the other woman, but says several people warned her. Remember to give bears at least 100 yards of space. pic.twitter.com/7rnMgKGNxm
— NBC Montana (@NBCMontana) May 12, 2021
Yellowstone has strict rules pertaining bears, bison, and wolves. Tourists must remain at least 100 yards from these unpredictable animals for their own safety and that of the critters.
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Dehring appeared before Magistrate Judge Mark L. Carman in Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming. She was sentenced to four days in custody and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine, and an additional $1,000 to the Yellowstone Forever Wildlife Protection Fund.
Dehring also is banned from entering Yellowstone National Park for one year.
Court records show that tourists had stopped at Roaring Mountain to watch a grizzly bear sow with three cubs. Most of them remained inside or quickly retreated to their vehicles.
Dehring held her ground, aiming her phone at the bear until it briefly charged toward her from a distance of less than 30 yards.
Said Acting United States Atty. Bob Murray:
“Wildlife in Yellowstone National Park are, indeed, wild. The park is not a zoo where animals can be viewed within the safety of a fenced enclosure. They roam freely in their natural habitat and when threatened will react accordingly. Approaching a sow grizzly with cubs is absolutely foolish. Here, pure luck is why Dehring is a criminal defendant and not a mauled tourist.”
–Image courtesy of Darcie Addington
