In yet another ill-guided decision at Yellowstone by a tourist, a visitor was caught on camera heading off the boardwalk and placing his hand into one of the hot springs.
The pictures, posted to the popular Instagram site Tourons of Yellowstone, show two people standing by Green Dragon Spring, with one of them dipping his fingers into the steaming water.
What's even more wild is that this is actually the second time in the last month that a Yellowstone visitor has decided they want to touch the boiling water themselves, despite the plethora of warning signs about the temperature and the steam rolling off the pools.
Park visitor Mike Specht captured the images and shared them with the outlet, saying, "Green Dragon Spring, at least their children were smart enough to stay on the paths."
Green Dragon Spring is an attraction within the park where visitors have to wait to see the water coming out of a small cave. As the National Park Service puts it, "Visitors must wait patiently for a glimpse of the sulfur-lined cave and boiling green water." It's clear that these two park visitors would rather get a close-up view than wait for nature to take its course.—
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Many of the commenters on the site were less than generous in their assessment of the incident. Some wished that visitors who cannot follow the signs and warnings would just stop coming to the parks, while others expressed concern for the delicate ecosystems. One concerned follower asked, "Is it true that the ground is brittle around those things and it could crack under your weight potentially and you could fall in?" The simple answer is yes. Another commenter, who lives near the park, filled in the blanks: "The ecosystem around the pools and geysers have delicate bacteria which causes the different colors," she wrote. "Also, the ground around the pools can be thin."
She added, "This kind of stupidity is getting old. I live near the park and only visit in winter now."
This recent incident comes on the heels of a woman dipping her toe and hand in the water by Silex Spring. The NPS is very clear about visitors going near the hot springs. It states on its site, "Hot springs have injured or killed more people in Yellowstone than any other natural feature." Pets are not allowed near the thermal features, and the NPS prohibits throwing objects into the hot springs and other hydrothermal areas.
The NPS warns, "Do not touch thermal features or runoff. Swimming or soaking in hot springs is prohibited. More than 20 people have died from burns suffered after they entered or fell into Yellowstone's hot springs."
READ MORE: Watch (Another) Tourist Try to Pet a Bison at Yellowstone—and Get Charged
