Pierce Brosnan changes course, pleads guilty after missteps at Yellowstone



In the last few months, actor Pierce Brosnan has done a little legal two-step, first pleading not guilty and then turning around and pleading guilty after he received citations for venturing into restricted areas of Yellowstone National Park.

Brosnan found himself on the wrong side of the law last fall, when he was in Montana filming "The Unholy Trinity," a Western co-starring Samuel L. Jackson. While in the area, he decided to take a sightseeing trip to Yellowstone, as Blaze News previously reported.

At the park, Brosnan snapped various selfies as he took in many of the manifold wonders Yellowstone has to offer, including a hot springs area known as Mammoth Terraces. Perhaps distracted by the natural beauty of the landscape, he likewise stepped outside the designated foot paths at another thermal area as well.

The trouble is that Mammoth Terraces was then closed to tourists, and the thermal boardwalks are not just there to direct and control traffic. Thermal areas — which include geysers and hot springs — are some of the most dangerous attractions in Yellowstone, with water temperatures sometimes reaching a scalding 175 degrees Fahrenheit. The park even reports that hot springs "have injured or killed more people in Yellowstone than any other natural feature."

The incriminating selfies Brosnan took eventually found their way to a social media account infamous for outing "stupid" tourists, the New York Post reported, and Brosnan was later issued two federal citations, one for "foot travel in all thermal areas and w/in Yellowstone Canyon confined to trails" and the other for "violating closures and use limits," court documents said. The maximum penalties for those offenses include six months behind bars and a $5,000 fine.

In January, his attorney, Karl Knuchel, entered a not guilty plea on Brosnan's behalf in the U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming.

But on Thursday, Brosnan walked that plea back and instead pled guilty to the "foot travel" count. He also agreed to pay a fine of about $1,500, most of which will be donated to the Yellowstone Forever Geological Fund. In exchange, prosecutors dropped all other charges against him.

The 70-year-old actor, perhaps best known for his memorable role in "Mrs. Doubtfire" and for playing James Bond in the 1990s and early 2000s, took to Instagram to apologize for his Yellowstone misstep, which he called a "transgression" and "an impulsive mistake." "I did not see a 'No Trespassing' sign posted that warned of danger nor did I hike in the immediate area," he explained.

"As an environmentalist I have the utmost respect for and love of our natural world," he added. "... Yellowstone and all our National Parks are to be cared for and preserved for all to enjoy."

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Officials confirm dead woman found on hiking trail near Yellowstone National Park died from grizzly bear attack



Officials confirmed Monday that a woman died near Yellowstone National Park after being attacked by a grizzly bear.

Early Saturday morning, officials with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks were notified that a hiker found a woman deceased on a trail about eight miles from West Yellowstone, the agency said in a statement.

Upon investigating, bear specialists and other game wardens discovered the woman suffered from "wounds consistent with a bear attack."

"They also found tracks from an adult grizzly bear and at least one cub near the site. They did not see any bears or signs of a day bed or animal carcass during the investigation," the agency explained. "The hiker was believed to be alone during the encounter, and no bear spray or firearms were found at the scene."



The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks are jointly investigating the incident.

Officials did not release the victim's name.

Tragically, the woman was attacked and killed the same week that Montana game wardens issued a warning about bears. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, in fact, warned there have been "grizzly bear sightings in several places where grizzlies haven’t been seen in recent years, and in some cases more than a century," KECI-TV reported.

Still, bear attacks are rare.

Only eight people have been killed by bears in Yellowstone National Park since the park was established in 1872. On the other hand, there have been seven fatal brown and black bear attacks in Montana since 2010, including three (now four) since 2021.

This is only the second fatal bear attack in the U.S. this year. Steven Jackson, 66, was killed in Arizona last month when a black bear attacked him. Neighbors rushed to his aid and eventually killed the bear, but it was too late. Officials were left perplexed over the attack because the bear was not provoked nor was it unhealthy.

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FACT CHECK: No, The Volcano In Yellowstone Did Not Erupt

The Yellowstone Caldera is not at risk of eruption

Severed foot found floating in the Abyss Pool hot spring of Yellowstone National Park



National Park officials said that a part of a severed human foot was found inside a shoe at the Abyss Pool in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.

Officials said Thursday that the park employee spotted the foot and shoe at the popular hot spring in the southern part of the park on Tuesday.

The discovery led to the temporary closure of the West Thumb Geyser Basin and its parking lot, but they have since been reopened.

The Abyss Pool is one of the deepest hot springs at the park with a depth of around 53 feet. Its temperature reaches about 140 degrees Fahrenheit according to park officials.

Officials say they are still investigating the incident and will likely have more information to report in the coming days.

This is not the first death in Yellowstone park this year. In July, a 25-year-old woman was killed when she gored by a bison and tossed into the air. Despite warnings from park officials to stay at least 25 yards from large animals, the woman got to 10 yards from the bison before it charged her.

In 2011, a 57-year-old man was mauled and killed by a grizzly bear while he was hiking in the park with his wife. That had been the first fatal grizzly mauling in the park since 1986. Officials said the bear attacked because of a perceived threat from the hikers.

Yellowstone is among one of the more popular national parks with 4.86 million visitors recorded for the 2021 year. According to records kept by the park, around 20 people have died due to some interaction with the thermal areas of the park since the 1880s. Only eight people have died as the result of an interaction with grizzly bears.

Here's a local news report about the incident:

Foot found in Yellowstone pool, investigation ongoingwww.youtube.com

Bison kills woman at Yellowstone National Park



A bison gored a woman and tossed her in the air as she visited Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming on Monday, NBC News has reported.

What are the details?

The woman, a 25-year-old from Ohio, has yet to be identified.

According to the report, the woman approached the bison on Monday morning despite warnings to remain more than 25 yards from the animals. When she came within 10 feet of the aggressive bison, it charged her, gored her, and tossed her 10 feet into the air.

In a statement on the woman's death, the National Park Service said, “The woman sustained a puncture wound and other injuries.”

The service added, "Wildlife in Yellowstone National Park are wild and can be dangerous when approached. When an animal is near a campsite, trail, boardwalk, parking lot, or in a developed area, give it space. Stay more than 25 yards (23 m) away from all large animals — bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose, and coyotes and at least 100 yards (91 m) away from bears and wolves."

The statement continued, "If need be, turn around and go the other way to avoid interacting with a wild animal in close proximity. This is the first reported incident in 2022 of a visitor threatening a bison (getting too close to the animal) and the bison responding to the threat by goring the individual. Bison have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal. They are unpredictable and can run three times faster than humans."

The female victim was transported to a medical facility in Idaho for treatment. However, she later died from the injuries sustained during the encounter.

Two other people who were said to be with the female victim were unhurt during the incident.

The incident remains under investigation at this time.