Yellowstone Worker Shares Bizarre Complaint From Tourist — Asks Them To 'Train The Bears'

At popular tourist destinations, it’s not unusual for the staff to hear requests from visitors that range from bizarre to downright unbelievable. For instance, while some visitors ask for things that go against the safety protocols of the place, others make demands that simply don’t seem to be logical. Sharing a similar incident online, a Yellowstone National Park employee has set the internet abuzz. The person has shared one of the most unbelievable requests ever made by a visitor. As the national park draws millions of tourists each year, it is common to get curious advice from the visitors, but this one stood out.

In a note shared online, the visitor's suggestion read, "Our visit was wonderful, but we never saw any bears. Please train your bears to be where guests can see them. This was an expensive trip to not get to see bears." This was shared on the social media platform Reddit by an employee of the national park who goes by the username r/facepalm. As soon as the post went viral, netizens rushed to the comment section to share their views. One Reddit user, u/Admirable-Elk2405, commented, “Training big-ass, dangerous predators to be where people are. Yeah, that's a really, really bad idea.”

Similarly, u/-Harebrained- stated, “Oh, and everyone who has worked in Yellowstone knows that if they ever did that, there would be more deaths each year than there already are. What a deeply thoughtless person.” Another Reddit user, u/elspotto, rightly said, “If you went to a national park and saw zero bears, then they are trained exactly the right amount.” u/asbestosmilk also commented, “I don’t get how people can know so little about a place they likely paid a lot of money to visit, and it’s not like the park doesn’t try to warn people, they give out tons of fliers when you get there telling you the animals are wild and can be dangerous.”

As reported by the National Park Service, both grizzly and black bears are found in Yellowstone National Park, making it one of the rare spots located south of Canada where the two species live together. When comparing the two, grizzlies are larger and bolder, and they often use their strength and assertive behavior to defend themselves and their young ones. On the other hand, black bears tend to be more cautious and less confrontational. People who have visited the popular national park before the 1970s can easily recall spotting bears near park roads and around built-up areas.

However, things have changed a lot since then, with little to no bear sightings at all sometimes. The officials have also cautioned the people visiting there to follow certain guidelines. For instance, everyone in the park should remember the fact that bears can be dangerous. Therefore, it is advised that you maintain at least 100 yards (91 meters) distance when spotting a bear, unless you’re safely inside a vehicle. Additionally, these bears are regularly fed their natural diet, not any kind of human food. So, feeding any wildlife—including bears—is strictly prohibited in the park area.

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