Actor Pierce Brosnan pleaded guilty Thursday to stepping off the trail at a thermal area in Yellowstone National Park in November.
Brosnan, 70, is lucky he didn’t find himself the subject of extreme ridicule by Tourons Of Yellowstone after he decided to go for an offroad stroll along Mammoth Hot Springs terraces. He pleaded guilty to the crime on Thursday, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He received a $500 fine and an order to donate $1,000 to Yellowstone Forever, an organization that supports the national park (because our taxes barely cover protecting our natural landscape thanks to mismanagement by elected officials).
Prosecutors recommended a $5,000 fine, so Brosnan is lucky he got off so easily. Brosnan later posted a photograph of Yellowstone to his social media.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 26: (L-R) Adam DeVine, Nina Dobrev, and Pierce Brosnan attend Netflix’s Special Screening of “The Out-Laws” on June 26, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for Netflix)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 01: (L-R) Pierce Brosnan and Keely Shaye Smith attend The 2023 Met Gala Celebrating “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 01, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)
A coyote is seen walking in the prairie at sunset in the Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, on July 9, 2020. (Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)
An American Bison, also called Buffalo, grazes in the Yellowstone National Park July 09, 2020. (Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)
“As an environmentalist I have the utmost respect for and love of our natural world,” he wrote in the post. “However, I made an impulsive mistake – one that I do not take lightly – when entering a thermal area covered in snow in Yellowstone National Park to take a photograph. I did not see a ‘No Trespassing’ sign posted that warned of danger nor did I hike in the immediate area.”
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“I deeply regret my transgression and offer my heartfelt apologies to all for trespassing in this sensitive area. Yellowstone and all our National Parks are to be cared for and preserved for all to enjoy,” the former Bond actor added.
SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: Pierce Brosnan attends US-Ireland Alliance’s 2024 Oscar Wilde Awards at Bad Robot on March 07, 2024 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images)
SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 07: Pierce Brosnan is honored at the US-Ireland Alliance’s 18th annual Oscar Wilde Awards at Bad Robot on March 07, 2024 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for US-Ireland Alliance)
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, WY – JUNE 22: A bison walks past people who just watched the eruption of Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone National Park, which has been closed for more than a week, on June 22, 2022 in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. The park has been closed to all visitors due to severe flooding and damage to the roads. There is a limited opening today for the southern loop of the park. (Photo by George Frey/Getty Images)
Brosnan was working in Wyoming at the time of the incident filming a new western, “Unholy Trinity,” alongside Samuel L. Jackson. (RELATED: Rare ‘Zombie’ Disease Kills Deer In Yellowstone National Park)
Wandering off the path in places like Yellowstone National Park can be deadly. Not only is the park full of dangerous animals, but some of the hot springs will literally melt the flesh from your skin. In 2022, a single foot was found floating in a hot spring at the park. Compared to that, losing $1,500 doesn’t sound so bad.