This has been quite a dangerous time for people in national parks. With COVID-19 restrictions lowering, there has been an influx of accidents as more people are going out. Last week, a man and women fell down the summit ridge of Mount Russell. The man fell to his death 500 feet below, while the women was able to break her fall 30 feet down. The body of a 20 year old person was found in Joshua Tree National Park after a week long search and rescue. Elsewhere, such as in Denali National Park, two men were hit by ice chunks from glaciers (known as hanging seracs), with one dying and the other suffering major injuries.
Though this didn’t happen in a national park setting at all, a girl had recklessly charged a bear, of which was in her backyard swiping at her dogs. She managed to not get seriously injured and saved her dogs. Still, absolutely do not charge at wild animals, especially a bear! Meanwhile, people in national parks seem to think its a good idea to approach and gather around a wild bison. By the looks of it, it gave them plenty of time to back away too; the featured image is a Bison Petting Chart by the National Park Service. Safety isn’t always for us, but for the animals and their environment too.
In other parts of the world, tourists possibly spread COVID-19 to mountain gorillas they took selfies with. Elsewhere, exotic wild animals are exploited, with their attention exploding on platforms such as TikTok and YouTube. No matter where, when, or why, please stay safe, respect nature, wildlife, and your own limits.
