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A 47-year-old woman from Phoenix, Arizona, was gored by a bison in Yellowstone National Park on Monday. According to a press release from the park, the woman sustained major injuries to her chest and abdomen and a helicopter took her to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.
The woman was walking near the Lake Lodge Cabins on the morning of July 17 when she, along with one other individual, spotted two bison. They reportedly began moved away from the animals when one charged and gored her. Exactly how close the two got to the bison is unknown, and Yellowstone has made no more information related to the incident, including the woman’s current condition, public.
This is the first bison attack occuring in Yellowstone this year, with an incident last occurring back in June of 2022. That incident involved a 34-year-old man from Colorado who sustained an injury to his arm after a bison gored him near the Giant Geyser at Old Faithful.
Yellowstone Bison
Yellowstone National Park has a large amount of dangerous wildlife, and it’s important to understand exactly how to interact with animals when you encounter them. You should give any animal plenty of space, but large animals specifically require at least 25 yards (bison, moose, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, coyotes). While predators are cool to see in the wild, bears and wolves need at least 100 yards to ensure safety.
Bison are in rut (mating season) from mid-July to mid-August. During these periods, people give them even more space, as they can become more easily agitated. Bison can run significantly faster than people, and have quite a lot of agility.
Yellowstone’s bison population is the largest of its kind on public land, comprising of around 5,900 bovine. In 1902, poachers had decimated the population in the park, bringing it down to just around a couple dozen.
Related: Tourist Gets Dangerously Close To Bison @ Antelope Island State Park
Featured Image Credit: katsrcool from Edmond, OK, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons