Officials at Yellowstone National Park are shutting down rumors circulating on social media about wildlife leaving the park due to potential volcanic eruptions.
Claims about animals leaving Yellowstone National Park in droves have appeared on platforms like Instagram, TikTok and Facebook in recent weeks. One AI-generated video that gained traction features fake clips of wildlife such as grizzly bears, mountain lions and elk traveling in large groups with the caption “exodus in Yellowstone” flashing across the screen.
Social media commenters who fell for the generated video chimed in, speculating the animals were likely sensing something amiss, like a volcano preparing to erupt at the national park.
These rumors are completely unfounded, however, the National Park Service (NPS) told USA TODAY, and there is no scientific evidence that wildlife can sense impending earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
“Wildlife is not leaving Yellowstone National Park in large numbers,” Linda Veress, a spokesperson for the National Park Service, said in a statement to USA TODAY on July 21.
“This rumor is false, and we believe the video that is circulating on social media is satirical in nature and uses AI-generated footage,” she added.
Scientists are monitoring the volcano at Yellowstone
Yellowstone is home to nearly 300 bird species, 16 fish species, five amphibian species, six reptile species and 67 mammal species, NPS said on its website.
The park is overseen by the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory, a group of nine state and federal agencies that monitor and assess volcanic, hydrothermal, and earthquake activity in Yellowstone, the park service said on its website.
Veress said in a statement on July 21 that scientists from the observatory are closely watching the Yellowstone volcano.
“These monitors would detect sudden or strong earthquake activity, ground shifts, and volcanic gases that would indicate increasing activity,” Veress said. “No such evidence exists at this time.”
She added that an eruption is “theoretically possible but it is very unlikely in the next thousand or even 10,000 years.”
When did the Yellowstone volcano last erupt?
There have been three major eruptions at Yellowstone, according to NPS.
The volcano last erupted approximately 174,000 years ago, creating what is now known as the West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake, the NPS said on its website.
The third and most recent massive volcanic eruption occurred 631,000 years ago, although there have been about 80 smaller eruptions since then.
Park officials said the best place to get current and accurate information about the park is www.nps.gov.
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.
