Possible legal consequences for hiker harasses mountain goats on popular Mount Timpanogos trail.
Time and time again, I've watched large groups of hikers, some, shortcutting trails and tearing down a steep slope, damaging official walkways, ripping up vegetation and turning an otherwise lush mountainside into single or multiple long, muddy or dusty skid-marks, all to save themselves perhaps 30 seconds of travel time.
For someone who has seen everything from bears to pikas on this mountain, this recent chapter of wildlife harassment has been a sobering reminder of challenges faced by forest, park and wildlife managers who are charged with protecting the land and wildlife, while also maintaining public access to our priceless wilderness areas and natural resources.
Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Capt. Brandon Baron highlighted the potential harm inflicted on both wild animals and people when visitors harass wildlife. Knowing that harassment can potentially be fatal for wild animals, it's perhaps unsurprising that the state code used to prosecute wildlife harassment is the very same state code used to prosecute poaching, according to Baron.. To take means to hunt, pursue, harass, capture, catch, possess and so on," he said. "So, under the Utah state enforcement code, it is illegal to 'take' without permission."in the thousands of dollars and, in some cases, jail time.
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