A US Woman Refused To Move For A Charging Grizzly Bear & Now She's Going To Jail
She really wanted to get the pic.
It's never a good idea to face down an angry grizzly bear and her cubs — no matter how good you think the photos will look.
An Illinois woman will serve four days in jail for refusing to back down against an angry momma bear in Yellowstone National Park last May, according to the acting U.S. attorney in Wyoming, where she was sentenced.
Samantha Dehring, 25, pleaded guilty on Thursday to "willfully remaining, approaching, and photographing wildlife within 100 yards" at the park, the U.S. attorney's office said.
"Approaching a sow grizzly with cubs is absolutely foolish," Acting U.S. Attorney Bob Murray said.
Dehring was with a group at the park's Roaring Mountain when they all spotted the mother grizzly and her three cubs, authorities said. Everyone else walked away, but Dehring dared to stick around and start taking pictures.
We don't know if the pics turned out, but we do know that a witness got video of the bear actually charging.
In the video, Dehring is standing behind a low brick wall with her phone out when the angry bear rushes forward, then circles away.
She quickly puts her phone in her pocket and walks away after the close call.
Check out this clip of a @YellowstoneNPS grizzly bear bluff charging a tourist that got too close. Darcie Addington took this from the safety of her vehicle. She doesn't know the other woman, but says several people warned her. Remember to give bears at least 100 yards of space.pic.twitter.com/7rnMgKGNxm— NBC Montana (@NBC Montana) 1620831144
Dehring will spend four days in jail for breaking the 100-yard rule at the park. She was also banned from the park for a year, ordered to pay over $2,000 and put on probation for a year.
The acting U.S. attorney ripped into Dehring in his news release and stressed a point that they always tell you at the park: don't mess with the wildlife.
"Here, pure luck is why Dehring is a criminal defendant and not a mauled tourist," he said.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.