Illinois woman goes to jail for photographing grizzly bears in Yellowstone

After a video of her trying to photograph grizzly bears went viral, an Illinois woman was sentenced to four days in jail and banned from Yellowstone National Park for a year.

Samantha Dehring, 25, of Carol Stream, Ill., Was charged on Oct. 6 with disturbing wildlife at Roaring Mountain in the park on May 10 as she attempted to obtain a close-up photo of a grizzly bear and of its young. Dehring must spend four days in custody, one year on unsupervised probation and faces up to $ 2,040 in fines and costs.

In an announcement Thursday, Acting US Attorney Bob Murray on behalf of the Wyoming District said, “Approaching a grizzly sow with cubs is absolutely insane. Here, it is by sheer luck that Dehring is an accused and not a disabled tourist.

Dehring appeared before an investigating judge in Mammoth Hot Spring, Wyoming on Wednesday, more than a month after his appearance. She was also charged with another count of intentionally feeding, touching, teasing, scaring or disturbing wildlife, which was dismissed.

In accordance with National Park Service regulations: “intentionally staying close to or approaching wildlife” is prohibited.

“The park is not a zoo where animals can be observed in the safety of a fenced enclosure,” Murray said.

The news comes less than a month after Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon announced the state’s intention to ask the federal government to lift its protections for grizzly bears in the Yellowstone area.