Woman Gored After Approaching Bison In Yellowstone
A bison in Yellowstone National Park gored a 72-year-old woman Thursday evening.
The woman from California approached the bison multiple times to take its photo at Bridge Bay Campground. A press release from the park Monday said she was within 10 feet of the animal when it gored her.
Rangers provided immediate medical care for several wounds before she was flown by helicopter to the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center. The incident is under investigation.
Yellowstone’s Senior Bison Biologist Chris Geremia said people should keep at least a 25 yard distance from bison and move away if they approach or display aggressive behaviors like pawing the ground, snorting, bobbing their head, bellowing or raising their tail.
In May, another park visitor was knocked to the ground after getting too close to a bison near Old Faithful Geyser. Last July, a bison charged a nine-year-old girl and tossed her in the air.
A hiker received minor injuries from a grizzly bear last week when it knocked her to the ground.
This is the first incident of a bear injuring a visitor in Yellowstone in 2020. The last time a bear injured a visitor in the park was in June 2019, when a black bear bit into an occupied tent and bruised a woman’s thigh.
Copyright 2020 Yellowstone Public Radio