CNN Original The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper returns with an exploration of the precarious relationships between tourists and wildlife in Yellowstone National Park, the oldest national park in America. The episode, titled “Close Encounters: Tourists in the Wild,” premieres on Sunday, August 25, at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on CNN.
In this episode, CNN Senior National Correspondent Ed Lavandera ventures into Yellowstone, a vast park spanning 3,500 square miles and home to an array of wildlife, including bison, grizzly bears, and wolves. The park also boasts over 10,000 hydrothermal features, such as geysers and hot springs. Lavandera examines how the desire to admire wildlife up close can lead to hazardous situations and reveals the longstanding issue of tourists behaving dangerously within the park.
Lavandera immerses himself in the wild, riding alongside a nature filmmaker and speaking with survivors of wildlife attacks. He receives guidance from wildlife experts on safe ways to observe the magnificent creatures that call Yellowstone home. Throughout his journey, he encounters grizzly bears, bison, rocky mountain elk, bald eagles, and more.
The Whole Story With Anderson Cooper: Close Encounters: Tourists in the Wild airs on Sunday, August 25, 2024, at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on CNN.
