Most visitors to Yellowstone National Park rank the chance to see a grizzly bear at or near the top of their vacation wish lists. But park managers struggle with how to best keep humans and bruins safe when crowds gather to view wildlife along the roadside.
When it comes to educating visitors about the risks and rules of watching bears, it turns out the most effective communication method is the one used least often.
Visitors who received an oral explanation from a park ranger were “much more likely” to correctly remember safety advice and regulations than those who got information from any other means. Yet that was the method of communication encountered by the fewest respondents.