Former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan won’t admit to taking an off-limits jaunt in Yellowstone National Park’s forbidden hot springs.
The actor received a citation for reportedly entering protected thermal areas in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming in December.
Brosnan recently pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, leading to an ongoing legal battle with the U.S. District Court in Wyoming.
Court documents state that he was cited for walking in thermal areas and “violating closures and use limits” on November 1st of last year.
Pierce Brosnan Pleads Not Guilty to Illegal Hiking Charges Pierce Brosnan’s not caving to the federal government … fighting two charges he hiked into a restricted area at Yellowstone National Park. The actor entered a not guilty plea for two illegal hiking charges on January… pic.twitter.com/0vDssAGBpm
— Let's Talk About Dis Shidd (@MrsBarnesII) January 17, 2024
“Foot travel in all thermal areas and within the Yellowstone Canyon between the Upper Falls and Inspiration Point must be confined to boardwalks or trails that are maintained for such travel and are marked by official signs,” federal law states about visiting the area.
Both citations are classified as petty offenses, but can carry a sentence of up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine.
The “Mamma Mia!” star is fighting the allegations despite photographic evidence to the contrary.
TMZ obtained a picture of the actor posing jauntily in the off-limits area.
Brosnan was in the area at the time filming a Western movie called “The Unholy Trinity” at the Yellowstone Film Ranch in Paradise Valley.
The upcoming historical epic stars Brosnan, Samuel L. Jackson, Brandon Lessard, and Ethan Peck.
He did it. He posted pictures.
He's rich and feels entitled. I'm proud of the park rangers who wrote these tickets and glad to stand beside them.https://t.co/I3KqqjZVO2
— Public Land Lover (@publiclandlvr) January 19, 2024
Yellowstone National Park features various thermal areas, including over 10,000 hot springs, geysers, mudpots, travertine terraces, and fumaroles.
The park’s official site emphasizes the importance of safety around these areas, which are home to over 75% of the world’s geysers.
Park officials warn that ground beneath the thermal features may have only a thin crust separating visitors from boiling hot springs.
The park advises caution as the safety of the area is uncertain and new hazards can appear overnight.
Visitors are also warned to stay on established walking paths as the acidity of the pools can burn through footwear.
These safety rules are in place to protect both the millions of visitors that come from around the world, and the delicate environment of the park.
Despite these cautionary notices, park visitors are notorious for pushing boundaries and suffering the consequences of their callousness.
In August of last year, a group of moronic tourists spotted a mother black bear and her two cubs, and jumped out of their vehicles to get a closer look.
Four men, one carrying a child, foolishly sprinted closer to get a good look, and got lucky they startled the bears away, instead of spurring them into defensive mode.
Mother bears are fiercely territorial and known to kill humans, just like Yellowstone hiker Amie Adamson unfortunately found out a month before the incident.
Adamson, 47, was out for a morning run on the park’s Buttermilk Trail, when she was mauled to death by a grizzly bear for coming to close to her cub.
The same bear broke into a home in the area with her cub two months later, and had to be euthanized by authorities.
Once the bear was genetically analyzed, she was revealed to be Adamson’s killer.
In 2022, an employee at the park discovered the partial human remains of a foot inside a show floating in a hot spring.
The remains were discovered in the West Thumb Geyser Basin’s Abyss pool, which is 53 feet deep and maintains a temperature of 140 degrees due to the hot springs.
Months later, DNA testing revealed the foot belonged to 70-year-old Los Angeles resident, Il Hun Ro.
“The investigation determined, to the best of our knowledge, that an unwitnessed incident involving one individual happened on the morning of July 31, 2022, at Abyss Pool, and no foul play occurred,” National Parks Service officials said about the man’s passing.
“Based on a lack of evidence, the circumstances surrounding the death of Ro remain unknown.”