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Woman Cited After Video Shows Bear Charging Toward Her at Yellowstone National Park

A woman was charged with two offenses after she was seen on video getting close to a grizzly bear at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming on May 10, The Billings Gazette reported.

The outlet said the woman, identified as Samantha Dehring of Carol Stream, Illinois, has been charged with “feeding, touching, teasing, frightening or intentionally disturbing wildlife and violating closures and use limits.”

Darcie Ford Addington said she captured this footage showing the bear bluff-charging toward a woman, who is holding up her phone, in the Grand Loop Road area. The bear suddenly changes course and retreats and the woman turns and quickly walks away. Onlookers are heard gasping.

Ford Addington said she captured the video from the safety of her vehicle. She said she didn’t know the woman seen in the video but had heard other people warning her to stay back.

The National Park Service says bears use bluff charges to “scare or intimidate.” The park service says on its website that visitors should stay at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves. “The animals in Yellowstone are wild and unpredictable, no matter how calm they appear to be. The safest (and often best) view of wildlife is from inside a car.” Credit: Darcie Ford Addington via Storyful