A 47-year-old woman who was gored by a bison in Yellowstone National Park Monday morning suffered serious injuries to her chest and stomach, officials said.
The National Park Service said the Phoenix woman was with another person on the north shore of Yellowstone Lake near Lake Lodge Cabins when they spotted two bison. They turned and walked away, but one of the bison charged and butted the woman.
The woman was flown to a medical center for treatment.
Officials don’t know how close they were to bison before the attack, but they said bison are unpredictable and can run three times faster than humans. Yellowstone National Park requires all visitors to stay at least 25 yards away from most wildlife, including bison, elk, and deer.
“The wildlife in Yellowstone National Park is wild and can be dangerous when approached,” the Park Service said in a press release. “When an animal is near a campsite, trail, boardwalk, parking lot, or in a developed area, give it space.”
Officials said mid-July through mid-August is bison mating season. Bison can roost more quickly than normal during this time period.
Monday’s attack is the first of its kind in 2023, but many visitors to the park were ransacked by bison last year.
It was a 25-year-old woman Butting and throwing in the air North Old Faithful in May of 2022. Several weeks later, a 34-year-old man Walking with his family on the boardwalk Near Giant Geyser in Old Faithful when bison butted him. It was a 71-year-old tourist, also from Pennsylvania Bison attacked him In June last year.
bison are The largest mammal in North America, according to the Department of the Interior. Male bison, called bulls, weigh 2,000 pounds and measure 6 feet in length. Females, called cows, weigh up to 1,000 pounds and reach 4-5 feet in height. Yellowstone is the only place in the United States where bison have lived continuously since prehistoric times.
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