The character James Bond is used to dangerous situations, but actor Pierce Brosnan could be facing potential jail time after he allegedly put himself at risk while trespassing in an area of Yellowstone National Park.
U.S. National Park Service rangers on Tuesday accused Brosnan, 70, of walking into an out-of-bounds thermal area at the Mammoth Hot Springs, near the Wyoming-Montana border.
The hot springs are some of Yellowstone’s most stunning visual features and include various high-temperature geysers, steam vents and mud pots along a mineral-encrusted hillside. The thermal activity in Yellowstone is widespread and has existed for thousands of years.
Dramatic mineral terraces in Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.
George Rose/Getty Images
The alleged incident involving Brosnan occurred on Nov. 1, when the Tomorrow Never Dies actor was in the park for a leisurely visit, according to two federal citations obtained by multiple outlets.
Officials accused Brosnan of leaving the area’s boardwalk to cross onto the sensitive ground of Mammoth Hot Springs. He was officially charged with the petty offences of “foot travel in all thermal areas and w/in Yellowstone Canyon confined to trails” and “violating closures and use limits.”
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The actor has not commented publicly on the situation. Brosnan could face considerable fines and up to six months of jail time.
Brosnan, who played James Bond from 1995 to 2002, has been ordered to appear in court in Wyoming on Jan. 23, 2024.
Despite the many warning signs seen in the region around Mammoth Hot Springs, many Yellowstone visitors have still been observed crossing into off-limits areas. Several tourists have been badly burned by hot springs, which can reach boiling temperatures.
Yellowstone said more than 20 people have died as a result of burns they suffered after entering or falling into the park’s hot springs.
Colourful mineral formations in the Lower Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.
Jon G. Fuller, Jr./VW PICS/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
The park has long since warned visitors about Yellowstone’s thermal pools, emphasizing that “the ground in hydrothermal areas is fragile and thin, and there is scalding water just below the surface.”
Official guidelines state visitors must remain on boardwalks and trails and exercise extreme caution around thermal features. Yellowstone’s hot springs and thermal runoff from such areas are not to be touched. Soaking inside a hot spring is prohibited.
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