The saying that “there’s an app for that” now applies to efforts to save tourists from being stomped, chewed on, clawed or skewered by angry Wyoming wildlife.
Those who can’t keep themselves from getting too up close and personal while trying to take selfies with the Cowboy State’s famous bears, bison and other wild critters now have a little extra help.
The Selfie Control Instagram app was launched this year Jackson Hole Travel & Tourism Board ahead of peak tourist season in hopes of teaching tourists to back off to the recommended distances from wildlife — at least 100 yards from bears and wolves, and 25 yards from other animals.
It works by projecting silhouettes of wildlife, such as moose or bears, on the screens of users showing how large those animals should appear from the safe distances.
“If the animal in person is bigger than the icon on your screen, then you’re too close. It takes the guesswork out of judging distances to wildlife,” board executive director Crista Valentino told Cowboy State Daily.
The app caught on with tourists during this year’s peak summer season in Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks, she said.
“Did we see people using the app? Yes, and we feel really good about that,” Valentino said.
However, some Wyomingites said they wonder about the app’s effectiveness, because the people who most need to use it are also likely the least likely to use it.
Getting Ahead Of The Problem
The Instagram app is part of a larger Selfie Control campaign by the travel and tourism board intended to cut down on the number of wildlife attacks on visitors.
The goal is to remind people to stay back from bears, bison, moose and other creatures capable of hospitalizing or killing them within seconds.
Selfie Control also includes signs and decals around Jackson and on the board’s website.
The hope is to start drilling the importance of staying back from wildlife into tourists’ heads the minute they arrive at the local airport of drive into town, Valentino said.
The need for it is evident, because the number of visitors to Teton County and the surrounding area is growing every year, thus upping the odds of things going sideways between tourists and wildlife, she said.
“We are, every year, seeing increases,” she said. “And we expect there to be continued 3-5% increases of visitors to Teton County and the surrounding region.”
With more than 4 million visitors to Yellowstone National Park alone, even a small percentage of people getting too close for their wildlife selfies can be a lot of people.
Warning: Bison Are Fast
The app has visual and text components.
“You can swipe on the icon of the animal you’re seeing” to pull up the appropriate silhouette on the screen, Valentino said.
It can also buzz out warning texts, with messages such as “bison run at 35 mph, distance is your friend.”
The intent is not only to keep tourists from being maimed or killed, but also to save wild animals from being stressed out by constant mobbing.
Program Has Its Doubters
The app is a good idea with the best of intentions behind it, but it might not be all that effective, said Jen Mignard, who administers the popular Yellowstone National Park: Invasion of the Idiots Facebook page.
Invasion of the Idiots features content highlighting terrible and dangerous tourist behavior — just the things that prompted creating the Selfie Control app. And Mignard said that even with the app available, such behavior will probably persist.
“Very interesting. It’s (Selfie Control) a great idea, but I don’t know that people will abide by it,” she said.
Too many people have ingrained bad attitudes, she said.
“We live in a world dominated by self-interest and instant gratitude,” she said. “Those often out-weigh ethical and safe decisions, such as maintaining a minimum distances from wildlife. With the exception of tourists who are genuinely caught off guard by hidden or fast-moving animals, I do believe that the rules are known and simply disregarded.
“I believe the people who will use it for the purpose of maintaining appropriate distances would be the same ones already trying to maintain proper distances.”
Wyoming photographer Jorn Vangoidtsenhoven had similar thoughts.
“It's a nice idea, but not sure how effective it will be, especially since tourists have to know about it and download it,” he told Cowboy State Daily.
Photographer Deb Richardson is worried about more people showing up in a spot near the Grand Tetons that is a magnet for bull moose. Particularly people who don’t know how to behave themselves around the lumbering behemoths.
National Park Service personnel do what they can to keep people back from wildlife, and she appreciates their efforts. But she’s skeptical as to whether the Selfie Control Instagram app will make their jobs any easier.
“That’s been out for a while now and I see a couple sites who post it but in reality, I honestly don’t think it will make a difference,” she told Cowboy State Daily.
Richardson added that she also tries to educate tourists every chance she gets.
“I can tall you I have yelled at people when they try to approach bears,” she said.
Still Pushing Forward
Valentino said it’s understandable that some might doubt the effectiveness of the Selfie Control app, but the travel and tourism board is confident that it will prove itself in the long run.
“I’m not willing to make an assumption about who is or isn’t going to take a piece of information and internalize it and do something about it,” she said.
The board chose to launch the app on Instagram because it’s one of the most popular social media platforms across the country and the world.
So, Instagram was the logical choice for reaching out to as many people as possible, she said. It’s not yet been decided if the board will try launching it on other social media platforms.
The board plans to kick the Selfie Control program into high gear again as peak spring and summer tourism season hits again in 2025.
The promotion campaign will expand to other national park gateway towns, Valentino said.
“We plan to try to do it again, to do it better and do more of it, and try to get other partners and communities involved,” she said.
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
