Samantha Dehring (25) is spending four days in jail for not moving away when a mother grizzly bear and her three cubs walked through a meadow at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.
Dehring pleaded guilty to "willfully remaining, approaching, and photographing wildlife within 100 yards." In addition to the jail sentence, she is banned from the park for a year and must pay $2,000 in fines.
On the day of the incident, Dehring was taking photos of the bears. As they came close, other park visitors left the area and warned Dehring to leave also, but she stayed until the mother bear charged at her.
Bob Murray, acting US attorney for the District of Wyoming, said, "Approaching a sow grizzly with cubs is absolutely foolish. Here, pure luck is why Dehring is a criminal defendant and not a mauled tourist. 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.""
Photo by Angie Birmingham on Scopio
