YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK — Yellowstone National Park (YNP) has announced that a visitor was gored by a bison in the park over the weekend.
On Saturday, June 1, an 83-year-old woman from Greenville, SC, was gored by a bison near the Storm Point Trail at Yellowstone Lake, the park announced on Monday.
“The bison, defending its space, came within a few feet of the woman and lifted her about a foot off the ground with its horns,” YNP said via press release.
The woman sustained serious injuries, and her current condition has not been disclosed by the park. Following the incident, park emergency responders transported the woman to the Lake Medical Clinic. She was subsequently flown via helicopter to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, ID.
YNP noted that the incident remains under investigation. The park took the opportunity to remind visitors to give the park’s animals a wide berth.
“Wild animals can be aggressive if people don’t respect their space,” the press release said. “When an animal is near a campsite, trail, boardwalk, parking lot or in a developed area, give it space. It is your responsibility to stay more than 25 yards away from all large animals – bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose and coyotes – and at least 100 yards away from bears and wolves.”
YNP’s announcement also stated that bison have injured more people in the park than any other animal, explaining that they aren’t aggressive animals until their space is threatened. Bison can run three times faster than humans, YNP said.
This is the second bison incident reported by Yellowstone this year. In April, an Idaho man was arrested for allegedly kicking a bison, which led the bison to inflict “minor injuries” on the man. Last year, a woman was gored by a bison near the Lake Lodge Cabins; she survived the incident.
