BILLINGS — A woman has been charged after she was caught on video getting too close to a grizzly bear in Yellowstone National Park.
Samantha Dehring of Carol Stream, Ilinois, has been charged in U.S. District Court in Wyoming with two offenses: violating closures and use limits; and feeding, touching, teasing, frightening or intentional disturbing of wildlife, according to court records.
She is scheduled to appear in court in Mammoth on August 26.
Dehring was at Roaring Mountain in Yellowstone National Park on May 10, 2021, when visitors noticed a sow grizzly and her three cubs. While other visitors slowly backed away and got into their vehicles, Dehring remained.
She continued to take pictures as the sow bluff-charged her. Witnesses took pictures and video of the incident which were shared with news outlets, eventually leading to her identification.
Park regulations require visitors to stay at least 300 feet away from bears and wolves. When an animal is near a trail, boardwalk, parking lot, or in a developed area, visitors must give it space. Yellowstone National Park guidelines state that visitors must stay 25 yards away from all large animals – bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose, and coyotes - and at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves.
