Park rangers issued a $1,000 fine to a tourist visiting Yellowstone National Park after he walked off a boardwalk and collected thermal water from Mammoth Hot Springs, park officials said.
The man, who was identified as a Chinese national, was seen Tuesday by another visitor walking on the terrace formations near the 45-foot tall Liberty Cap.
"The visitor also reported seeing the individual break through the fragile travertine crust," according to park rangers.
Investigators located the man, who said he had not read the safety information given to visitors at the entrance to Yellowstone and admitted to collecting water from the hot springs. He was given the fine and a $30 court processing fee. Authorities said he would be required to appear in the Yellowstone Justice Center Court for "boardwalk travel in a thermal area."
Park regulations require visitors to stay on designated trails and boardwalks at Yellowstone, both for visitor safety and to protect the park's natural resources.
"Without visitor cooperation, park natural wonders will continue to be damaged and more individuals may be injured or killed," Yellowstone officials said in a news release.
Park rangers said a father and son suffered burns on June 6 after they walked off a designated trail in the Upper Geyser Basin. One day later 23-year-old Colin Nathaniel Scott, of Portland, Oregon, walked off a boardwalk and slipped and fell into a hot spring at Yellowstone's Norris Geyser Basin. He did not survive.
"This tragic event must remind all of us to follow the regulations and stay on boardwalks when visiting Yellowstone's geyser basins," Yellowstone Superintendent Dan Wenk said in a statment.
The case was the latest in a series of high-profile incidents at the national park. A Canadian tourist was cited in May after trying to help what he thought was an abandoned bison calf. The animal was later euthanized because its pack refused to take it back in, according to park officials.
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