A man was caught on a widely viewed webcam entering a river where brown bears were feeding on salmon. The man is now facing criminal charges for entering a closed wilderness area.
The footage was captured by a streaming bear-cam on Thursday evening at Alaska’s Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park & Preserve.
“National Park Service spokeswoman Anela Marie Ramos said in an email the situation was “unprecedented” for Brooks Falls during the summer area closure, June 15 to Aug. 15.
Around 6:50 p.m. Thursday, two Alaska residents and one tourist went into the closed area, the National Park Service said in a statement.
The man used an emergency exit on the bear viewing platform to get down to the riverbank below, according to Ramos.” – adn.com
Park rules state that approaching within 50 yards of animals feeding on a concentrated food source is banned. This part of the river is closed from June 15 through August 15 to accommodate bears during the salmon-feeding season.