This man is facing multiple charges after getting dangerously close to brown bears in Brooks Falls, Alaska.
Three unidentified men, two Alaska residents and one nonresident, found themselves in the middle of heated criticism after the following video footage surfaced Aug. 9, 2018.
According to a press release from the National Park Service, the three entered a closed area before one of them approached a group of brown bears feeding on fish in the Brooks River.
A bear-watching camera set up along the bank caught the man getting closer and closer as he tried to take a selfie with the bears in the background. Shortly after, rangers started getting reports from people watching the livestream.
According to the NPS, these actions violated park's wildlife viewing regulations.
"People need to recognize that these are wild brown bears," Superintendent Mark Sturm said. "These visitors are lucky that they escaped the situation without injury. The possible consequences for the bears and themselves could have been disastrous."
Watch the video below:
This park of the Brooks River falls within the Katmai National Park and Preserve. And, in Katmai, it's illegal to get within 50 yards of a bear "using a concentrated food source," such as spawning salmon in this case.
The man in the video is faced charges after using an emergency exit from the bear-viewing platform to get down to the river, according to the Anchorage Daily News. Possible charges could include reckless endangerment, harassing wildlife and entering a closed area.
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