Do (Not) Feed the Bears: The Fitful History of Wildlife and Tourists in Yellowstone

It was a familiar sight at Yellowstone National Park: traffic backed up for miles as visitors fed bears from their cars. It may have been against the rules, but park officials were willing to turn a blind eye if it kept the public happy. But bear feeding eventually became too widespread and dangerous to everyone—including the bears—for the National Park Service (NPS) to allow it any longer.

As one of the park’s most beloved and enduring symbols, the Yellowstone bears have long been a flashp...