Canadians misbehave again at Yellowstone Park

Wednesday, May 18, 2016, 11:00 AM - It hasn't been a good month for park officials at Yellowstone National Park in the U.S.

Likewise, Canadians aren't quite living up to reputation after two separate incidents involving Canadians misbehaving in Yellowstone National Park led to legal action.

Despite several warnings, signs and social media campaigns warning the public not to interact with wildlife or venture onto prohibited areas, tourists seem to keep doing whatever they please.

Earlier this week, a pair of Canadian tourists put a baby bison into the back of their SUV and demanded to speak with a park ranger, fearing the calf was cold.

That prompted a ticket and a reminder from the park that the public is expected to keep a safe distance from all animals.

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Now, a group of men from Vancouver, B.C. have landed themselves in hot water after walking out to the park's famous grand prismatic spring to snap photos to post on social media.

The spring is a huge tourist draw, but visitors are prohibited from getting too close to it, and must remain on a boardwalk.

File photo of the grand prismatic spring. Courtesy Tim Warris.

Park rangers filed a criminal complaint Monday against three members of the group High on Life SundayFundayz, a collective known to publish travel photos and videos on social media, accusing the men of stepping onto the spring.

The group has since issued an online apology and offered to donate $5,000 to the park.

"We did not respect the protected environment we were exploring, and we want to acknowledge our wrongdoing. Because we have disappointed people with our actions, we have taken down the footage filmed off of the boardwalk at Yellowstone. We have realized that what we did was not okay, and we want others to learn from our mistake," reads an excerpt from the group's apology.

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"We got over zealous in our enthusiasm for this wonderful place. When standing at the face of such natural wonder, we were drawn to it. In an attempt to get the perfect shot, we acted in a way that doesn’t reflect our respect for the environment we were trying to capture. It was the wrong decision to make. We realize that now. For this we would like to sincerely apologize to the Yellowstone park community and the public."

There are several signs around the spring warning visitors not to venture off the path.

Discovered by geologists in 1871, the grand prismatic spring third largest hot spring in the world with a diameter of 90 metres and a depth of 50 metres.

The colourful spectrum is the result of pigmented bacteria in microbial mats that form around the edges of the spring, and the amount of colour the bacteria produces depends on the ratio of chlorophyll to carotenoids present and the temperature of the water, which varies with the seasons.