A wave of intense public outrage is sweeping through the wildlife conservation community in the United States after video footage exposed an irresponsible drone operator repeatedly buzzing and harassing a grizzly bear family within the prestigious boundaries of Yellowstone National Park. The reckless and selfish act not only terrified the wild animals but also ignited immediate fury from a crowd of onlookers at the scene.

The incident occurred at approximately 6:30 PM on May 14 near Grizzly Lake inside the national park. Eyewitness Don Johnson, a resident of Idaho Falls, Idaho, was standing among a crowd of visitors admiring Beryl—a beloved and well-known mother grizzly—as she wandered gracefully around the lake area with her two young cubs.

While Mr. Johnson was using his iPhone to capture the peaceful familial moment, he was entirely unaware of the invisible hazard hovering directly above the bears. It was only when a park ranger suddenly shouted in anger regarding the presence of a remote-controlled drone that Mr. Johnson and the other visitors noticed the device.

The footage, which was subsequently analyzed and shared on social media, exposed a deeply concerning reality. The drone had descended and circled the grizzly family at a dangerously close proximity—so near that experts noted the bears could have easily “swatted it out of the air” had they turned aggressive. The video demonstrated that the bears detected the buzzing device almost immediately. A curious cub approached the object, only to jump back in fear after being startled by the foreign item operating right before its face. The harassment peaked when mother grizzly Beryl and her two cubs were forced to turn and flee the lake area in blind panic to escape the drone, just moments before the device shot up into the sky to make its getaway.

The park ranger’s warning acted as a spark to a powder keg, causing immediate, fierce anger to surge through the crowd of visitors at Grizzly Lake. “Everybody was madder than hell,” Mr. Johnson recalled during an interview with the Cowboy State Daily. “If anybody caught them, they’d probably have strung them up.”

Once uploaded to Facebook by Mr. Johnson, the video quickly garnered over 30,000 views and drew thousands of sharply critical comments. Many netizens expressed profound concern for the safety of mother grizzly Beryl and her cubs, hoping the family remains safe and healthy despite human interference. “She’s confused by that drone, not ok to do that,” one commentator shared. Another added: “To the inconsiderate people who are flying drones near the bears, frightening them, I hope you have to pay a huge fine.”

Significantly, deploying drones within national parks is not merely a severe ethical violation but a federal crime under United States law. Operating unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) within the boundaries of any national park, including Yellowstone—which spans across Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana—is strictly prohibited. Offenders face criminal penalties of up to six months in jail, alongside a potential maximum fine of $5,000.

To date, the identity of the drone pilot remains unknown. According to Johnson’s observations, the perpetrator had carefully hid to evade detection: “They were around the corner and behind the hill. I wish I’d caught them.” Yellowstone National Park authorities have been contacted for official comment regarding the ongoing investigation aimed at bringing the offender to justice and safeguarding the tranquility of the park’s wildlife.