To enhance safety and protect both wildlife and visitors, the Jackson Hole Travel & Tourism Board in Wyoming has launched an innovative Instagram filter called “Selfie Control.” This filter is designed to help visitors maintain safe distances from animals like bison, elk, and bears while taking photos in Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks. The tool overlays icons of these animals with distance guidelines (25 yards for elk, moose, and bison, 100 yards for bears) to ensure that people stay within safe limits, reducing the risk of dangerous encounters.
With the growing number of visitors to national parks, incidents involving wildlife have increased, leading to potential harm to both animals and humans. For example, a bison recently gored an elderly woman in Yellowstone, and a bear attacked a child at a campground in Montana. The filter aims to mitigate these risks by encouraging responsible behavior while still allowing tourists to capture memorable photos.
The Jackson Hole tourism office launched the filter before the busy summer season, promoting it around town and even beyond its borders. Thousands of people have already downloaded the filter since its debut in May. The technology is open-source, allowing other regions with similar wildlife concerns to adapt and implement the tool. For instance, locations like Australia could modify the filter for use with their local wildlife, such as kangaroos.
This initiative highlights the importance of respecting wildlife and maintaining safe distances to prevent stress or harm to animals. The tourism board’s creative approach to leveraging social media for conservation efforts is a step forward in balancing tourism with wildlife protection.
