A 25-year-old female from Grove City, Ohio, was gored and treated for injuries after she approached a bison to within 10 feet on the morning of May 30, 2022, Yellowstone National Park said Tuesday in a news release.
Park regulations require visitors to stay 25 yards away from bison. But the woman and two others got closer to the animal, and the bison gored her and tossed her 10 feet into the air near a boardwalk at Black Sand Basin north of Old Faithful, the park said.
The woman sustained other injuries, the park said, and she was transported to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center after being treated by park emergency medical providers.
The park reminded people that bison can run three times faster than humans.
“The incident remains under investigation, and there is no additional information to share,” the park said in the news release.
The park also said the following:
- Wildlife in Yellowstone National Park are wild and can be dangerous when approached. When an animal is near a campsite, trail, boardwalk, parking lot, or in a developed area, give it space. Stay more than 25 yards (23 m) away from all large animals — bison, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, moose, and coyotes and at least 100 yards (91 m) away from bears and wolves. If need be, turn around and go the other way to avoid interacting with a wild animal in close proximity.
- This is the first reported incident in 2022 of a visitor threatening a bison (getting too close to the animal) and the bison responding to the threat by goring the individual.
- Bison have injured more people in Yellowstone than any other animal.
- Read more about safety in the park, including how to behave around wildlife.
- Visitors: This year marks 150 Years of Yellowstone. Protect the park today and for future generations. Take the Yellowstone Pledge!