When talking about wildlife attacks in the Greater Yellowstone area, people immediately picture a scene that includes a couple hikers stumbling upon a Grizzly Bear standing on its hind legs and letting out a roar that would make anyone have to change their underwear. However, this year is different.
So far, bison are taking the lead in Wildlife attacks (at least the publicized ones) and it seems as though they hate selfie sticks and social media. The most recent incident involved a middle aged Mississippi Woman, who tried to take a selfie with her daughter in front of one of the animals just off a trail. However, this bison wanted nothing to do with their selfie.
Once the two tourists turned their backs, “They heard the bison’s footsteps moving toward them and started to run, but the bison caught the mother on the right side, lifted her up and tossed her with its head,” said park officials in a statement on Wednesday. She was released with minor injuries according to the JH News and Guide.
The woman involved in the most recent bison attack is the fifth of her kind this year. The trend is startling to say the least and park officials are trying to warn visiting guests to keep their distance when wildlife is in the picture (no pun intended). Bottom line, 1,000+ pound Bison are wildlife that are just that—wild.
According to Yellowstone park spokeswoman Amy Bartlett, “She wasn’t gored, and she wasn’t punctured by the bison.” She added, “the other four injured were all life-flighted because of puncture wounds, and she was not, so she was extremely lucky.”
Not everyone can be a guy on a buffalo.
Interesting Facts About Bison
- Only two of the six species of Bison are still around today
- Although “bison” is more scientifically correct, “buffalo” is also considered correct and appears in many dictionaries due to standard usage.
- Humans slaughtered an estimated 50 million bison
- Approximately 150,000 Bison still exist in America today
Facts courtesy of wikipedia.org