Yellowstone bison gores Phoenix, Arizona woman, 47, in chest, abdomen leaving her hospitalized after getting too close to wild animals.
A Phoenix, Arizona woman has been left with serious injuries after she was gored by a bison at Yellowstone National Park, Monday morning.
The victim, a 47 year old woman, yet to be publicly identified was walking with another person through a field in front of the Lake Lodge Cabins on the north shore of Lake Yellowstone when they came across two bison, the National Park Service said in a release.
After spotting the wild animals, the pair turned to walk away, only for one of the bison — which can run three times faster than humans at 35 mph — charging and goring the woman, the agency said.
The woman suffered ‘significant’ injuries to her chest and abdomen, according to the park service. She was airlifted to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center via helicopter.
Her condition is unknown.
The park service said it’s unclear how close the woman and her companion were to the massive mammals when the one charged, while urging all visitors to give wild animals in Yellowstone National Park space.
‘Wildlife in Yellowstone National Park are wild and can be dangerous when approached,’ the agency said in a release. ‘When an animal is near a campsite, trail, boardwalk, parking lot, or in a developed area, give it space.’
Visitors should stay more than 35 yards away from bison and other large animals like elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose, and coyotes and at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves, according to its directive.
The park service also advised visitors to ‘turn around and go the other way to avoid interacting with a wild animal in proximity’ — as the gored victim did Monday.
Previous bison attacks
Bison — which can weigh up to 2,000 pounds and stand 6 feet tall, are generally unpredictable and are especially irritable around this time of year as mid-July marks the start of their mating season.
The park authorities warned all visitors to use extra caution and provide additional space during the season, which runs through mid-August, since the animals ‘can become agitated more quickly.’
Bison show their emotions through their tails. If a bison’s tail is standing straight up, it could mean they are about to charge, according to the park service.
‘Every year, there are regrettable accidents caused by people getting too close to these massive animals,’ the National Park Service said. ‘It’s great to love the bison, but love them from a distance.’
Yellowstone is home to about 5,900 bison as of summer 2022, according to the National Park Service. The large herbivores have lived continuously in the area of the park since prehistoric times, despite almost going extinct during the 20th century, according to the service.
Females can weigh up to 1,000 pounds, and males can weigh as many as 2,000 pounds.
Monday’s incident was the first known bison attack on a person in Yellowstone in more than a year. The last reported incident took place on June 28, 2022, when a bison gored a person in the park.
