Yellowstone pleads with visitors to leave wildlife alone
In the past few weeks, there have been at least two reports of people interfering with animals at the park.
LEARN MOREPosted: 12:56 p.m. EDT Jul 18, 2023
A 47-year-old was flown to a hospital in Idaho after being gored by a bison in Yellowstone National Park.
Officials said the woman suffered "significant injuries to her chest and abdomen" during the attack on Monday.
The woman was reportedly walking with another person in a field near the north shore of Lake Yellowstone when they saw two bison.
"Upon seeing them, the visitors turned to walk away from the bison," the Park Service said. "One of the bison charged and gored the woman."
The other individual escaped without injuries.
It's unclear how close the visitors were to the the bison before the attack occurred.
It's currently mating season for bison, which officials say can cause them to become agitated more quickly.
"Bison are unpredictable and can run three times faster than humans," the Park Service said.
People are instructed to stay at least 25 yards away from large animals, including bison, elk and moose.
This was the first time a bison has gored a person at Yellowstone this year. The last reported incident occurred on June 28, 2022.
Park officials have been forced to repeatedly remind people this year to leave the wildlife alone.
In May, a man was charged for interfering with wildlife after he pulled a newborn bison from a river. The calf was euthanized after being rejected by its herd and roaming near vehicles.
In a separate incident, park officials said visitors placed an elk calf in their car and dropped it off at a police station for unknown reasons.
