Hope this dude isn't on board during our next voyage.

This is sort of an amusing video of an event that took place here in Alaska the other day. Two residents and one tourist were involved. I'm not certain if the visitor was off a cruise ship but likely so since cruise passengers account for most of our visitation. Over the years in our voyages once in a while we run into an idiot like this on board. I suppose if one of those bears charged and made hamburger out of the fellow his family would have sued government for not providing enough protection and let us all pay for his sorry demise.

https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/wildlife/2018/08/10/unprecedented-man-wades-into-katmai-bear-feeding-zone-takes-a-selfie/

I can only access the picture. ADN has locked me out until September. Where were the rangers? We have watched the webcam at Brooks Falls and I thought a ranger was always around with visitors present.

I can only access the picture. ADN has locked me out until September. Where were the rangers? We have watched the webcam at Brooks Falls and I thought a ranger was always around with visitors present.

The text:

Three people are facing criminal charges after they approached feeding brown bears at Alaska's Katmai National Park and Preserve in the popular Brooks Falls viewing area, the park service said.

One man was shown taking a selfie on the Brooks Falls live stream, which broadcasts to a global audience throughout the summer.

National Park Service spokeswoman Anela Marie Ramos said in an email the situation was "unprecedented" for Brooks Falls during the summer area closure, June 15 to Aug. 15.

Around 6:50 p.m. Thursday, two Alaska residents and one tourist went into the closed area, the National Park Service said in a statement.

The man used an emergency exit on the bear viewing platform to get down to the riverbank below, according to Ramos.

Multiple bears were feeding on salmon at the time.

"In doing so, the group violated National Park Service wildlife viewing regulations, putting themselves and wildlife at risk," wrote Mark Sturm, superintendent at Katmai National Park.

Katmai rangers started getting reports from visitors and people watching the Katmai bear cam. Ramos was not sure if the person in the video was Alaskan or a visitor.

"The group was contacted by park rangers and charges are pending. Details on identities will be released when charges are finalized," Sturm wrote.

In Katmai, it's prohibited to be within 50 yards of a bear that is "using a concentrated food source" like the migrating salmon at Brooks Falls.

August is usually when bears move on to other streams as they follow the sockeye salmon run, Ramos wrote. But the salmon run is still going strong – more than 60 million sockeyes returned to Bristol Bay this summer.

"It has been a phenomenal year for salmon and bear viewing," she wrote.

Criminal charges against the three were still being finalized, Ramos wrote.

"People need to recognize that these are wild brown bears. These visitors are lucky that they escaped the situation without injury. The possible consequences for the bears and themselves could have been disastrous," Sturm said in the statement.

Ramos said she could not confirm that the people had been drinking, "However, they were at the bar afterwards," she wrote.

Thanks for supplying the text, AKStafford. Amazing what some people will do!

What a idiot!

Future Darwin Award winner in training.

The bears were at the bar afterwards? I don't blame them.

I guess some people have to be told, it's not Disney.

Something tells me his actions were preceded with the phrase, "Here, hold my beer".......

Future Darwin Award winner in training.

My thoughts exactly!

what a idiot!

ditto!

Seen this story on Today show this morning.Shame on him!!! Bears were only worried about there fish, thank God!

What a jacka$$. I wish one of the bears would have started walking toward him so he would know how stupid he is. Geeshh

Something tells me his actions were preceded with the phrase, "Here, hold my beer".......

:):cool::)

Srpilo

while it was amazing to see the bears catching fish, the man was an idiot and should have been arrested. Video was great to see.

I'm still seeing this video on the news as of today. He should be arrested.

the sad part is when an idiot like that invades THEIR space the animal is often shot / put down because it's protecting it's space/ environment...geesh....I say bust a cap in the idiot or better yet let the bears have him

You just can’t hide stupid!

You just can’t hide stupid!

But you can castrate stupid so the stupid genetic trait doesn't get passed to the next generation - although I suspect that given the apparent age of the guy, he has probably already done a lot of passing.

DON

What a dumb cluck, an what was he think?