Yellowstone National Park authorities reportedly banned an Idaho man from the park after he was found allegedly attempting to fry chickens in a hot springs area.
Park rangers were alerted Aug. 7 of hikers heading toward Shoshone Geyser Basin, the park’s largest geyser region, with cooking pots, New York Post reported. Two whole chickens in a burlap sack were found sitting in a hot spring upon further investigation, according to East Idaho News. A cooking pot was also found near the scene.
The unnamed man was issued a $1,200 fine and ordered to serve 2 years of probation, East Idaho News reported. He is banned from the park for the 2-year period. (RELATED: 72-Year-Old Woman Attacked By Bison At Yellowstone National Park)
Man banned from Yellowstone for trying to fry chickens in hot spring https://t.co/XYFbQPs9jF pic.twitter.com/6N7BsG41vO
— New York Post (@nypost) November 5, 2020
The Idaho man is not the first person to attempt to cook food in a geyser, the report continued. A Seattle television show host in 2001, dug a hole at the park to demonstrate how natural heat would cook chicken. The show was reportedly given 2 years of probation and fined $150.
Yellowstone prohibits visitors from putting anything in its thermal features, according to park policy.
The park recently made news when a 3-year-old suffered 2nd degree burns after falling into a hot spring Oct. 9, according to a statement from the park service per NY Post. In May, a man allegedly broke into the park and “fell into a thermal feature at Old Faithful while backing up and taking photos,” the statement said.