US national parks ban drones to protect wildlife

Salt Lake City - Drones are now off limits in two national parks in Utah.

Officials in the Arches and Canyonlands national parks say the unmanned aircrafts disrupt wildlife and are an intrusion on visitors looking for tranquillity.

The National Park Service's office in Moab, Utah, announced the new rule on Monday in a news release.

Park officials say they have seen a rapid increase in the use of drones recently. The ban also extends to Hovenweep and Natural Bridges national monuments.

Two large national parks, Grand Canyon in Arizona and Zion in Utah, have already changed their rules to ban drones.

The National Park Service is taking steps to ban drones from 84 million acres of public lands and waterways, saying the unmanned aircraft annoy visitors, harass wildlife and threaten safety.