Yellowstone visitors furious after drone operator caught on camera circling mama grizzly bear and her cubs

By EMMA RICHTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 21:40, 31 May 2026 | Updated: 21:50, 31 May 2026 A shameless drone operator was slammed by angry visitors after they circled the remote-controlled aircraft around a mama grizzly bear and her cubs at Yellowstone.  Don Johnson was filming the family of bears on May 14 near Grizzly Lake at the popular national park when he unwittingly captured the device getting dangerously close to the wild animals, he told Cowboy State Daily.  Johnson, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, told the outlet he was in a crowd around 6.30pm watching Beryl, a beloved mother grizzly, and her two kids as they wandered around the lake area.  He filmed the trio on his iPhone, but as he did so, he also caught the drone flying so close to the bears that they could have 'swatted it out of the air', the outlet stated.  The bears appeared to have spotted the device almost right away as one of them got close to it and jumped back in fear, the video showed. By the end, the momma bear and her cubs ran from the drone just before it flew up into the sky.   Johnson said it wasn't until a ranger raised his voice that he realized what was going on in front of him.  'I didn’t even notice the drone at the time. I didn't pay any attention to it until I heard a ranger yell out something about a drone, and by then I was done filming,' Johnson recalled.  But the ranger's warning caused everyone else in the crowd to realize the drone as well, and instantly caused a surge of anger, according to Johnson.  Don Johnson was filming the family of bears on May 14 near Grizzly Lake at the popular national park when he unwittingly captured the device getting dangerously close to the wild animals The bears soon noticed the flying device, with one of them getting visibly startled by it 'Everybody was madder than hell,' he said. 'If anybody caught them, they'd probably have strung them up.'  The video, which Johnson shared on Facebook, garnered more than 30,000 views, and other irate commentators who were left in disbelief by what they saw.  'She’s confused by that drone, not ok to do that,' one commenter shared.  Another added: 'Beryl and her cubs are gorgeous!! I hope they can stay safe and healthy and live a long life.  'To the inconsiderate people who are flying drones near the bears, frightening them, I hope you have to pay a huge fine.'  Johnson called for the act to be illegal without knowing that it already is.  Flying drones within the vicinity of any national park, including Yellowstone, is a crime that sees offenders spend up to six months in jail, with a possible additional $5,000 fine.  The landmark park spans across Wyoming, Idaho and Montana.   Johnson (pictured) said it wasn't until a ranger raised his voice that he realized what was going on in front of him By the end, the momma bear and her cubs ran from the drone just before it flew up into the sky. The drone pilot remains unidentified  It remains unclear who was piloting the drone, but according to Johnson, they were controlling it from 'around the corner and behind the hill.'  'I wish I’d caught them,' he added. But for now, he said, the moment has left many divided over what should happen next to prevent this from happening again.  'You got some people wanting to ban the tourists, but most people didn't say much except that they hope they get caught,' Johnson told the outlet.  The Daily Mail contacted Yellowstone National Park for comment.  The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.