A man who risked his life by wading into a river where brown bears were feeding on salmon is among three people facing criminal charges for entering a closed wilderness area.
The accompanying footage, captured by a streaming bear-cam Thursday evening at Alaska’s Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park & Preserve, shows the man trying to get close to several of the large animals to capture a selfie and other photographs.
“People need to recognize that these are wild brown bears. These visitors are lucky that they escaped the situation without injury. The possible consequences for the bears and themselves could have been disastrous,” Park Superintendent Mark Sturm said.
Park rules state that approaching within 50 yards of animals feeding on a concentrated food source, such as salmon in the Brooks River, is banned. This part of the river is closed from June 15 through August 15 to accommodate bears during the salmon-feeding season.
