New Instagram filter will help keep Jackson Hole visitors from getting too close to wildlife

A new Instagram filter will allow Jackson Hole visitors to interact with nature while keeping a safe distance from wildlife.

Every summer season, when school is out and the weather is warm enough to explore preserved land around the country, images circulate of people attempting to get too close to wildlife, often to snap a picture with the unsuspecting animal.

The occurrence is so prevalent that in 2023, Yellowstone National Park issued a message to tourists who spot wild animals: "Leave it alone and give it space."

Tourism experts are now getting creative in finding ways to encourage visitors to keep their distance from wildlife, even docile-seeming giants like bison.

Visit Jackson Hole has launched the "Selfie Control" filter, an Instagram filter that will warn guests when they are getting too close to comfort.

Users can search for the filter on Instagram and then navigate through the animal options to the type of wildlife they are looking at, according to the tourism board.

If the live animal appears bigger than the icon featured on the filter, it means the user is too close. Once visitors move back to the appropriate distance, they can take a photo and tag @visitjacksonhole before sharing as a Story or in-feed post.

The tourism board decided to create the filter after noticing a "really big increase" in human-wildlife encounters, Crista Valentino, executive director of the Jackson Hole Travel & Tourism Board, told ABC News.

The increase in interactions is likely stemming from a rise in the number of visitors, but Valentino believes that the emergence of smartphones and social media may have contributed to the growing trend of too-close calls between visitors and wildlife as well.

"Many of them are coming without the information of knowing and understanding that these are wild animals, that this is not a zoo, and that these animals need space," Valentino said.

In May 2023, a video of a woman filmed standing precariously close to a fully grown bison went viral. Although the bison seemed unperturbed, nature experts warn against misjudging their slow, calm nature to mean that they can interact with them, Valentino said.

The tourism board has witnessed people take their children and place them on top of the 3,000-pound animals or get dangerously close to them for the perfect shot, she added.

"And if you get between a mom and a baby moose, that mom will very quickly close that gap and defend its young," Valentino said.

In addition to the potential for the humans themselves to get hurt, after interactions with humans, wildlife can sometimes be put down because they are rejected from their herd, Valentino said.

National Parks visitors are required to stay at least 25 yards away from all wildlife, including bison, elk and deer, and at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves. Each violation can result in fines up to $5,000 and six months in jail, according to the National Park Service.

"For professional photographers and amateurs alike, it's hard to tell if a moose or bison is 25 or 100 yards away just by 'eyeballing' it, especially when you're in a place like Grand Teton or Yellowstone National Park with sprawling, wide-open spaces," said Erik Dombroski, chair of the Jackson Hole Travel & Tourism Board.

Similar incidents occur in Australia, another country known for its natural wonders.

Last year, professional photographers in Australia urged national parks visitors to stop messing with the numbats, a marsupial that lives in the western part of the country. The number of numbats is dwindling, with less than 1,000 estimated to still be living in the wild, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

Visit Jackson Hole reminded guests that staying the appropriate distance is more than a suggestion -- it's a requirement. The filter will help visitors to avoid creating dangerous situations for themselves or others, Valentino said.

"We're hoping to really see those those negative interactions decline," Valentino said.