Tourists’ garbage kills deer at Zion National Park, rangers say

Animals at Zion National Park have gotten so used to being around tourists’ garbage that they can open coolers and trash bags, park rangers said.

The overflowing dumpsters and litter at Utah’s most popular park recently led to a deer’s death, officials said Monday.

“Last month, Zion wildlife staff did a necropsy on a deer to investigate its cause of death and found a significant amount of plastic trash inside of its stomachs,” park officials said on Facebook.

The deer’s stomach was packed with more than a dozen pieces of food wrappers, an entire sandwich bag and a piece of rope. The deer couldn’t digest any of it, according to park officials.

Wildlife in the park has gotten used to being around tourists and their trash. They will approach people at campsites and search dumpsters for food, park rangers said.

Tourists should always store their food in proper containers, officials said. If a dumpster is overflowing, people shouldn’t add more trash to it.

“Never feed the wildlife, and keep a safe distance from all critters; for your safety and theirs,” park officials said.

Park visitors have trashed the park before. It’s been an ongoing problem in Utah and across the country during the coronavirus pandemic as more people head outdoors.

In December, Zion rangers found 14 pounds of garbage on a popular hiking trail. At least 9 pounds of the trash was human poop, park officials said.

Last year, officials found six bright blue boxes painted on sandstone, McClatchy News previously reported.

Graffiti and vandalism in the park take time and money to clean up. The surface could be damaged and often can’t be restored to its original condition, park officials said.

This story was originally published August 16, 2021 at 2:08 PM with the headline "Tourists’ garbage kills deer at Zion National Park, rangers say."